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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. SALES: On myopia or on garages?
CHAIRMAN: ----On garages.
MR. SALES: But I have not yet finished my supplementary questions. As to the 83 motorcars which are left overnight, are they all paid for parking and garaging?
CHAIRMAN: -We are very particular in ensuring that all people who park there pay what is required.
MR. SALES:—Are you able to disabuse our minds? That Government motorcars and vehicles have also been charged for parking facilities?
CHAIRMAN:-I am afraid I cannot. If you required this information, Mr. Sales, I should have been only too glad to provide it for you. Even this reply has taken a terrific amount of research. If you had asked for a breakdown of Government and non-Government vehicles I could have provided that information, but I cannot give it to you off hand.
MR. SALES: --I appreciate your difficulty.
CHAIRMAN:-I am afraid this is now degenerating into a debate.
MR. SALES: It is not a debate. I am just asking for information as to whether Government motorcars pay the same way as civilian motorcars do.
MR. BERNACCHI-I have a supplementary question, Sir. Are you suggesting, Sir, that this Council (a) could not refuse to admit a particular vehicle and (b) could not allow admission to a particular vehicle, when you say that the control over the type of vehicle rests with the Commissioner of Police?
CHAIRMAN:-That is my view. I consider that we have no right to refuse provided there is sufficient space.
MR. BERNACCHI:-And we have no right to allow a particular vehicle that the Commissioner of Police considers should not be parked there to be parked there?
CHAIRMAN:-I am afraid I cannot answer that question.
MR. A. DE O. SALES asked the following question:—
"Because of the very serious parking problem in Kowloon which has become visibly worse in the current year and promises to deteriorate even more alarmingly with road reconstruction and other schemes, will the Chairman please ascertain from Government and disclose to this Council whether suitable car parks will be built in Kowloon?”
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:
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"This is really outside the province of the Council but schemes to provide multi-storey car parks at various points are under consideration by Government. If you will refer to the Public Works Programme, included as Appendix (ii) in the Colony's Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure, you will find that there is included in it a scheme for a car park building at Tsim Sha Tsui."
MR. SALES: --Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If the motor car park is not within the province of this Council, may I ask whether it is within the purview of the Commissioner of Police?
CHAIRMAN: This is a town planning matter, Mr. Sales.
MR. SALES: A bit of confusion on that, Mr. Chairman. I was thinking of control all the time. What is the capacity of the car park which is being planned? Are you able to—
CHAIRMAN:---I am afraid I am not able to answer that question.
MR. SALES-Where is the location of the car park?
CHAIRMAN: ---I am afraid that I am not able to answer that question other than to point out that it is in Tsim Sha Tsui, which is a comparatively small area.
MR. SALES: I have lived in Kowloon for 30 years and I think Tsim Sha Tsui is a very widely spread out area, Mr. Chairman.
MR. A. DE O. SALES asked the following question :-
"(a) May this Council be informed whether it is Government's intention to extend Victoria Park across King's Road when the lands now occupied by the Services are released?
(b) Will the Chairman please make representations so that a part of that area may be reserved for recreational purposes?"
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows :·
"(a) As far as I am aware there is no intention to extend Victoria Park across Causeway Road (not King's Road).
(b) The matter has already been discussed at the meeting of the Urban Amenities Select Committee on 4th September— at which you were present and the necessary representations were then made to the Hon. Director of Public Works."
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