1958

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

MINUTES.

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

PAPERS.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 8th July, 1958, were confirmed.

ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN,

CHAIRMAN:-Before proceeding with the first item on today's agenda I am sure it is your wish that I should extend a warm welcome on behalf of all members to Dr. A. H. R. Coombes, M.B.E., who has been appointed to act as Assistant Director of Health Services and in consequence becomes an ex-officio member of this Council. (Applause).

MR. FUNG PING FAN:-On behalf of my colleagues and myself I would like to associate myself with your words of welcome to Dr. Coombes who is no stranger to us, and we can assure him that we shall work together with him closely for the good of this Council.

MR. B. A. BERNACCHI (who arrived whilst Mr. Fung was speaking):-Mr. Chairman, on behalf of the Reform Club elected members I should like to associate myself with the words that Mr. Fung has just said-I am afraid I have not heard all of them, but I am sure I can safely associate myself with them. Dr. Coombes has been with us in fact for quite a long time and has sat with us on the Select Committees and it is a very great pleasure to us that if Dr. Teng must go, the person to replace him should be Dr. Coombes who we know so well and who has so much experience of the work of this Council, and with whom we have already found that we can co-operate in harmony.

MR. LI YIU BOR:-On behalf of Dr. Woo and Mr. Hilton Cheong-leen and myself, I should like to associate myself with your words and those of my colleagues Mr. Fung and Mr. Bernacchi in welcoming Dr. Coombes to this Council. When I use the word "welcome" I do not mean to say Dr. Coombes is a stranger to this Council. He has served on many of the Committees as Mr. Brook Bernacchi has already pointed out, and he has contributed very much to the success of the work of this Council. May I be permitted, sir, to wish him every success and every happiness in his term of office as Vice-Chairman of this Council and as Assistant Director of Health Services.

THE CHAIRMAN laid upon the table the following papers :- (1) Report on the work of the Urban Council and Urban Services Department for the month of July, 1958.

(2) Urban Council and Urban Services Department Statistical Report for the period 1st April, 1958 to 30th June, 1958.

(3) Report by the Commissioner for Resettlement on the progress of clearance and resettlement operations during the period 1st April, 1958 to 30th June, 1958.

QUESTIONS.

MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question :—

"Will the Chairman consult the Traffic Department about the possibility of enclosing the larger traffic islands and roundabouts at the Castle Peak/Taipo Road Junction and the Gascoigne/Nathan Road Junction, so that the residents in these densely populated areas may continue to enjoy them as small recreational parks without causing serious traffic hazards ?"

THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:-

The first question concerns traffic islands in Kowloon. "As indicated in my reply to Question No. 6 by Dr. Lee at the last meeting of the Council, I have already been in touch with the Traffic and Public Works Departments concerning the islands at the junction of Taipo and Castle Peak Roads. Plans of the proposed layout have, in fact, been sent to these Departments for comments before they are presented to the Select Committee concerned. I shall be pleased to take up with the Traffic Office the question not only of the islands at the junction of Gascoigne and Nathan Roads, but also of all other traffic islands in the urban area which need similar treatment."

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