2
III.
(e) the Public Cleansing and Prevention of Nuisances (New Territories)
Regulations 1972 made under the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, Chapter 132, contain provisions similar to those in (d) but are applicable to the New Territories only;
(f) the Conservancy By-laws made under the Public Health and Urban
Services Ordinance, Chapter 132, prescribe duties of occupiers and owners of premises with respect to water-borne sanitation; and
(g) the Ventilation By-laws made under the Public Health and Urban
Services Ordinance, Chapter 132, contain provisions for the proper access of light and ventilation to premises or any part of any premises;
(h) the Ventilation of Scheduled Premises (New Territories) Regulations
and the Ventilation of Scheduled Premises By-laws, both made under the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, provide for control over ventilating systems in scheduled premises;
(i) the Building (Ventilating Systems) Regulations made under the Building Ordinance provide for control of ventilating systems except those in (h) above.
In addition, some of these legislative requirements have been incorporated in land lease conditions.
Difficulties
Modern buildings specifically designed for commerce or offices in redeveloped areas or newly developed areas in Hong Kong must meet certain requirements similar to those laid down in Articles 8, 9 and 13 of the Convention before an occupation permit would be issued by the Building Authority upon completion. Pre-war old buildings, however, in many parts of Hong Kong the design of which is not specifically for commerce or office purposes but in which numerous small offices and shops are located may not meet the standards for construction design set down in relatively modern building construction legislation. In addition, the structural design of such old buildings does not easily permit renovations to be made to meet the requirements of the Convention. Because of the high price of land and high building ccsts, rental for shops and offices in modern buildings are prohibitive if not exorbitant for small shops and offices. The introduction of compulsory legislative requirements would further inflate the rental of office and shop spaces in new buildings and simultaneously force the small establishments out of business thus creating an unemployment problem in Hong Kong. This is an insuperable difficulty in the consideration for making an improved declaration in respect of the Convention. It is advisable that the consideration be postponed until the redevelopment of Hong Kong has attained a sufficiently advanced stage over a period of