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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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trade fairs and exhibitions. One of the directors of the firm of consultants is in Hong Kong at the present time and is being invited to attend the next meeting of this Council's Urban Amenities Indoor Stadium Sub-Committee for an exchange of views.
damage, or deliberate theft in which the copper earthing wires are a favourite target. Where such wiring is defective, and for whatever reason, it is up to the tenant to get an electrical contractor to rectify the faults to the satisfaction of the power company. This is not a maintenance matter for which the department is responsible, although liaison is maintained with the power companies on this subject. The China Light and Power Company has recently asked for a meeting to consider how to prevent thefts of earthing wires, and it is proposed to extend the discussions to include the maintenance of tenants' wiring generally, and to invite a representative of the Public Works Department to attend. The department also proposes to consult the Hong Kong Electric Company on the same subject.
(15) MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:-
Many residents in resettlement estates have been complaining that loose electrical wiring is a constant source of danger to the children and a worry to the parents living in the estates; will the Commissioner for Resettlement please state what steps can and will be done to remedy this situation at the earliest possible date?
THE COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows:-
There are several types of wiring in estates:
(i) There is the wiring for public lighting which is installed by Government in conduits or on the outer surface of walls. The Resettlement Department is responsible for the maintenance of this wiring which is all in good order.
(ii) Secondly there is the wiring of public utilities like the Telephone Company and Rediffusion, which is generally in good order. However, as this wiring is usually clipped to the walls it can be pulled down by children and others, and the department has occasion to correspond with these utilities about untidy wiring from time to time.
(iii) Thirdly, there is the wiring for tenants' power and light supplies. In the Marks III and IV blocks, this is provided by Government and is contained in conduits. In Marks I and II blocks, tenants have to provide their own wiring, and I believe it is this which is the subject of the question. In these blocks tenants must apply to the power company for a supply and then engage a private electrical contractor to do the work. He is supposed to be on the power company's approved list. The power company checks the installations before connecting the meter. The earthing wires are usually fixed to the walls of the corridors and staircase spaces,
Trouble with tenants' wiring occurs not at the initial stage but later on, through lack of proper maintenance, wilful
(16) MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:-
In the course of several recent visits to resettlement estsates, I have noticed that some of the newer estates and in particular Wang Tau Hom Estate—are in a poor state of sanitation and cleanliness, with staircases strewn with rubbish, hawkers blocking passageways and access to shops, etc. What steps does the Commissioner propose to take to ameliorate this situation?
THE COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows:-
If by "newer estates" is meant the new Mark III estates, I would disagree with this criticism and contend that the standard of sanitation and cleanliness is up to the standard elsewhere in the urban areas and a considerable improvement on that which it has been possible to maintain in the Marks I and II estates.
I do not know which are the other estates referred to, but I admit that in Wang Tau Hom Estate, a proper state of sanitation and cleanliness is difficult to achieve. This large estate of 66,000 persons has attracted a great many hawkers. A few months ago they were cleared from the main road through the estate which leads to Lung Cheung Road, whereupon they transferred their activities mainly to the vicinity of Blocks "M" to "P". A large area in front of Block "P" has recently been surfaced and there are plans to move the hawkers to-day onto this open space which was originally planned as a hawker market. In the meantime, the hawkers have created serious problems for the sanitation staff.
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