icing, repair and overhaul of this large fleet was carried out effectively except for a crisis which developed mid-way through the year in the maintenance of the Urban Services Department's fleet of refuse collecting vehicles. Due to a number of factors it became difficult for the U.S.D. to send their vehicles in for regular servicing and this snowballed into a rapid build-up of unserviceable vehicles. In co-operation with the U.S.D. a special programme for immediate servicing was instituted to bring the situation back to normal and once this was achieved, the problem was resolved. The event did however graphically illustrate the importance of maintaining a regular servicing schedule.
6.39. Special types of vehicles produced to meet the individual requirements of various departments included a mobile library, a mobile immigration office, a mobile fire services command post, a radio detection van, a heavy cemetery van and four meat delivery vans. In connection with the meat delivery vans, experiments were carried out using an epoxy resin-bonded silk-strand mat to produce a floor combining hard wearing, non-slip and hygienic properties. The experiment proved successful and this type of flooring is now being applied to all meat delivery vans.
Plant
6.40. Appendix L provides a general summary of the various items of plant which are installed and maintained by the Section. In addition to the normal type of civil engineering plant, this also embraces diesel-engined stand-by generators, sewage pumping and screening plant, abattoir and by-products plant and all water pumps in Government premises.
General Engineering
6.41. This Section continued to meet its responsibilities for the maintenance of the very wide range of mechanical equipment and machinery operating in Government departments. They also manufactured items of a specialized nature or met very urgent requirements and installed and commissioned newly purchased machines and equipment.
6.42. A further large parking meter installation programme was embarked on towards the end of the year and the total number of meters in service on 31st March, 1965, was 2,822. The number of meter faults attended to by the maintenance staff reached a total of 36,167 and over 90% of these were due solely to the insertion of foreign articles.
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