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issue of the Hong Kong Tiger Standard. According to a news item (not a Government press release) a few days ago, the site adjoining the car park and the site in front of the car park will be sold for private development, so clearly it would be wrong for Government to spend public money on decorating a building which is to have another building abutting onto it in a few months' time.
MRS. ELLIOTT:-I am very glad to hear that, Mr. Chairman.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, could the Director of Public Works say what Government proposes to do with the ground floor?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:-I cannot say, Mr. Chairman. The ground floor has been planned for possible use as shops or some other commercial use, but what use it will in fact be put to, is not within my province.
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situated near undeveloped sites or in front of buildings under construction. In the great majority of cases there is insufficient room at these stops for the parking and manoeuvring of tractors and trailers without causing obstruction.
Market areas are major sources of accumulation of refuse and at the present time trailers are based at the Tang Lung Chau Market, the wholesale market in Western District, the Kennedy Town Slaughterhouse, and the Yau Ma Tei Market. It is proposed to examine the possibility of placing additional trailers at markets elsewhere and also in latrine compounds where more space is available. A survey is now being made and the results will be reported to the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee for consideration as soon as possible.
(5) DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question:
Due to the widespread public complaint about offensive nuisances arising out of refuse collection points in the urban areas, has the Urban Services Department given consideration to the purchase of more refuse trailers with covers in place of the unhygienic piling up of refuse baskets? How many major refuse collection points are there on both sides of the harbour, and how many vehicles would likely to be required? If insufficient study has been given to the subject, will this matter be referred to the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee for discussion?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:-
Trailers are used at present in all the resettlement estates for the reception of refuse and they are removed several times daily by tractor to Gin Drinkers Bay dump or to barges. In the resettlement estates, adequate space is provided for the manoeuvring of the full and empty trailers. On the streets of the urban areas it is rarely possible to find adequate space to park and manoeuvre these vehicles. Throughout the urban areas there are 89 refuse collection stops defined as major stops, that is to say, stops from which more than 100 baskets of refuse are cleared each day. The locations of these stops on the roads or pavements are frequently adjusted in relation to development in the areas concerned, so as to cause the minimum nuisance to residents. Where possible the stops are
(6) MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:-
Will the Director of Urban Services please advise how many letters addressed to the Department in the Chinese language were received from the public during November 1964? Will the Director of Urban Services also state how many replies were made to these letters by the Department with a Chinese translation attached? Also, how many replies were made in which the Department did not attach a Chinese translation?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:-
During November, the Urban Services Department received 486 letters in Chinese from the public; 253 replies were sent in English with Chinese translations attached and 120 in English only, a total of 373 replies.
The balance of 113 represents letters which required prolonged action, anonymous letters which could not be replied to, and letters concerning matters outside the scope of the Urban Services Department which had to be referred to other departments for action and reply.
Of the 120 letters sent in English only, many were replies to applicants for licences and permits, which embodied various conditions concerning the issue of such licences and permits, and for which it would be difficult to provide Chinese translations to meet each and every individual case. The question of providing translations in these cases is, however, being considered now.
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