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# HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
## MINUTES
The Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 6th November, 1962, were confirmed.
## PAPERS
THE CHAIRMAN laid upon the table the following paper:-
Report on the work of the Urban Council and Urban Services Department for the month of November 1962.
## QUESTIONS
MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:-
Will the Chairman please inquire from the Head of the Public Enquiry Service whether his staff would be prepared, when approached by members of the public, to render Chinese translations of letters written in the English language by the Urban Services Department to those who do not read or write English?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:-
The Controller, Public Enquiry Service has informed me that his information officers do, in fact, give callers a verbal Chinese translation or explanation of the letters which they bring to his Enquiry Centres. The Controller has said that while he will continue to provide this limited service, he cannot go much beyond it at present. He has also said that in the period 1st March to 31st October, 1962, his staff dealt with 28 requests for Chinese translations of letters sent out by the Urban Services Department.
I should add that in the case of applications for Urban Council licences, when the departmental letter is sent to the applicant with the list of requirements and conditions to be complied with, a paragraph is always added at the end, informing the applicant that should he require advice on any matter of doubt, he should get in touch with the Health Office named in the letter. The letter of requirements and conditions is in English but attached to it is a Chinese translation of the particular paragraph I have mentioned above.
In addition, when a licensee of Urban Council licensed premises commits some breach of conditions or by-laws and it is necessary to send him a warning letter, such letters are delivered personally by the District Inspector concerned, who explains the contents to the licensee.
## HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. A. de O. SALES asked the following question:-
(a) What is the total area of existing playgrounds and rest gardens in the Western District?
(b) What is the area of the District itself?
(c) What is the population there?
(d) What proportion of the population is of school-age?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:-
In reply to (a) of your question, there are approximately six acres of public playground and sitting-out areas in the district lying west of Peel Street. These comprise the King George V Memorial Park, Kau U Fong Children's Playground, Blake Garden, West End Park, and sitting-out areas at Ka Wai Man Road, Pok Fu Lam Road and Bonham Road.
In reply to (b), the built-up area west of Peel Street is approximately 600 acres.
In reply to (c), at the time of the 1961 Census the total population of this built-up area was about 345,000.
In reply to (d), approximately 26% of the population of Western District were of school age at the time of the 1961 Census. This figure is based on the Census figures for the age groups from six to eighteen inclusive.
MR. A. de O. SALES asked the following question:-
What steps is Government taking to set aside land in the Western District for rest gardens and children's playgrounds?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:-
Government is acutely aware of the need to provide more playgrounds and rest gardens for the Western District and will use its utmost endeavours to search for suitable sites. Unfortunately, there is extremely little Crown land available for development or redevelopment in the Western District.
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