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THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:
"This raises questions concerning Sub-head 37 of Special Expenditure under Head 78 II Other Charges in the current estimates.
This Sub-head was first created in the 1957/58 Estimates, amounting to $900,000, with the object of enabling Council to carry out expeditiously minor works designed
to-
firstly, improve the appearance of the cities; and secondly, provide additional small parks and playgrounds.
It was not intended that this vote would finance any major projects in terms of engineering or architectural works which would take their normal place in the Public Works Non-Recurrent Programme.
As regards your question (a), I am a poor mathematician and until next year the population of the Colony is unpredictable, but I am prepared to accept your figures. I would however re-emphasize that the major Urban Amenity Projects such as Kowloon Tsai Park, Fa Hui Playground, Li Cheng Uk Recreation Ground, Fortress Hill Playground and Ma Tau Wei Service Reservoir Playground are not financed from this sub-head.
With regard to your question (b), this will be a matter of spreading the load over a longer period of time.
With regard to question (c), up till this year, there has been sufficient money for all Council's projects and, in fact, there has been an unspent balance at the end of each financial year. There has been no need therefore for Council to draw up a list of minimum requirements and priorities. The Minutes of the meeting of the Urban Amenities Select Committee at which Members discussed the proposed limitation to $800,000 are being forwarded to Government with the request that the Council be permitted to spend up to the maximum in the vote. At the same time, a priority list is being prepared for consideration at the next meeting of the Select Committee."
MR. SALES: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your very comprehensive reply. My supplementary question is: is it not a fact, Mr. Chairman, that, until a recent meeting, this block vote carried the cost of many projects which exceeded even $100,000?
CHAIRMAN: That is correct, Mr. SALES.
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MR. SALES: In the circumstances, Mr. Chairman, should not these projects now be properly applied to the Public Works Non-Recurrent Programme?
CHAIRMAN: In future, action will be taken to that effect.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, a final supplementary question. In relation to the statement which you made regarding the unspent balance at the end of each financial year, has that balance arisen because of the Select Committee concerned or the inability of the Public Works Department to carry out those projects?
CHAIRMAN: Not only the Public Works Department but all departments concerned with the construction of such amenities. There have inevitably been some time-lags.
MR. SALES: It is established then at this meeting that, if there has been any balance in this block vote in the past, it is not because there were no projects to be carried out by the Urban Council.
CHAIRMAN: I think that is definitely the case.
MR. SALES: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: Mr. Chairman, may I supplement Mr. SALES' supplementaries. You are an honest man, Mr. Chairman, in saying that you are not a good mathematician. Does that in effect mean that you can say you are a poorer mathematician than Mr. SALES.
MR. SALES: Mr. CHEONG-LEEN should know. We were in class together.
MR. A. de O. SALES asked the following question:
"(a) Will the Chairman give this Council the assurance that preparations for the City Hall are well in hand and according to plan?
(b) Is progress being made all along the line and due consideration given to all sections?"
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:
"These two questions concern the City Hall.
A considerable amount of thought has been given to most aspects of the City Hall but I cannot refer to a plan, as no overall plan was made available prior to Government entrusting the day-to-day operation of the City Hall to the Urban Council. I must of course point out that this initial work, so far as the department is concerned,
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