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# HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
## ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN.
Ladies and Gentlemen, before taking the first item on today's agenda, I am sure that it is the wish of Members that I should welcome Dr. A. H. R. COOMBES, who has been appointed to act as Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services during the absence of Dr. TENG. Dr. COOMBES has previously acted as Vice-Chairman on several occasions and we are very happy to have him here with us today. (Applause).
DR. COOMBES:-Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
## MINUTES.
The Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 2nd July, 1963, were confirmed.
## PAPERS.
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 1963.
(2) Urban Council and Urban Services Department Statistical Report for the period 1st April, 1963, to 30th June, 1963.
(3) Report by the Commissioner for Resettlement on the progress of clearance and resettlement operations during the period 1st April, 1963, to 30th June, 1963.
## QUESTIONS.
DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question :-
Is the Chairman aware of the objectionable smell emanating from the refuse collection vehicles being held up by heavy pedestrian traffic at the zebra crossing near the junction of Fuk Wah Street and Castle Peak Road, and will he take up with the relevant authority for the early realization of a pedestrian bridge to relieve the present heavy traffic of this road?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:-
The zebra crossing at the junction of Fuk Wah Street and Castle Peak Road was kept under observation for two days last month. During this time the periods of delay caused to 117 refuse collecting vehicles at the crossing were timed. About half the vehicles were held up for a minute, and the rest for less than forty seconds. During the period of observation no smell was detected coming from the vehicles. However, I agree that certain types of refuse smell worse than others, and that it is possible at times to detect some smell emanating from the vehicles, although closed.
With regard to the latter part of the question, I will refer the suggestion that a pedestrian bridge be constructed at this junction to the relevant authority.
DR. LEE:-Mr. Chairman, if your experience with regard to the offensive refuse collecting vehicles is limited to two experiments, I suggest that you might follow a stream of vehicles between the hours of eleven and one p.m. and between 5 and 7 p.m.
CHAIRMAN:-The time of these tests lasted from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon on both days.
DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question :-
In view of the frequent complaints of refuse fouling the harbour coming from the refuse dump at Gin Drinker's Bay, will the Chairman outline the various positive measures taken to stop this as a source of harbour pollution?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:-
Measures to prevent refuse from the dump escaping into the harbour in certain conditions of wind and tide have until recently been limited to:-
(a) mooring a floating boom off part of the dump face;
(b) constructing an earth and rock bund out from Pillar Island opposite the southern face of the dump.
Neither of these has given complete protection since, apart from any other consideration, they have not extended across the whole face of the dump. The rock bund is being constructed with material coming from the widening of Castle Peak Road, and the rate of construction of the bund it is now about 550 feet long-depends upon the fill which becomes available under that contract.
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