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(iii) That the Urban Council should be given increased
participation in Government Boards and Committees and that it should be invited to nominate representatives to them. The resulting mixed composition of the member- ship would inspire public confidence and would only serve the public interest.
(iv) That the Chairmanship of such Boards and Committees
should be held by non-Government persons, not by officials, as this would ensure an increasing respect from the public who would see independent persons sharing responsibility more actively.
(v) That the staffing of the Urban Services Department,
especially in regard to top-grade administrative and technical staff, was not keeping abreast of the Urban Council's plans and projects. There was a tremendous field for development in the case of urban amenities, but it would be futile to proceed without the staff to carry through the numerous projects.
vi) Block Vote for Urban amenities. At present Government
exercised financial control over this vote to the extent that the ceiling for any one project was limited to $100,000 and only six such projects were allowed to be carried out in a year by reason of staff limitutions in the Public Works Department. Mr. Sales asserted that this hamstrung the Council in its work of expansion of recreational facilities.
(vii) ducation. Referring to the recently published report of the Working Party on Education, ir. Sales said that he was alarmed that no regard had been paid to civio or moral aspects of education. He attached great importance to these because it was essential to educate young people towards responsible citizenship which would stand Hong long in good stead, particularly when the going was rough.
(viii) That the Appointed Members did not consider themselves
in any way less representative of local interests, as they were widely connected with, and belonged to many groups and organisations. Otherwise, he felt, they would not have been selected for appointment. Members present concurred with this point.
IR. H. CHEONG-LEEN raised the following points:-
Other
(i) That the Urban Council should have jurisdiction ir the New Territories. Referring to Mr. Bornacchi's mention of the How Territories, r. Cheong-Leen pointed out that Government had said that as the New Territories became more urbanized, the Urban Council might well have more say in matters pertaining to them. As Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung could now be said to be urbanized, he felt that the Council should be given jurisdiction in that
area noW.
(ii) Referring to Ir.
*
Watson's mention of the franchise paragraph 8) . Cheong-Leen said that the looted Members wanted the franchise to be extended by stages. Thoy did not want an immediate and radical extension. As an initial step nurses and rate-paying property
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/owners
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0003280* G.F. 323
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