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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
(15) DR. A. M. S. BELL asked the following question:-
The condition of the street next to the Confucian Tai Shing School at Wong Tai Sin, where there are many unlicensed hawkers selling fruits and who litter the streets and adjacent bus stop with fruit peelings and rubbish, is very bad. If action is not possible to remove these unlicensed hawkers then can more litter containers and more thorough cleaning of this street be organized?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:
The street in question is Tai Shing Street which connects the Tung Tau Tsuen Road with the Choi Hung Road. A section of the street is used temporarily as a bus terminus for routes 3 and 5A and the area has attracted a number of fruit hawkers. There are also some hawkers occupying an open space on the opposite side of the street to the school. A number of itinerant hawkers have attempted to occupy the pavements outside the school during the evenings. Action is taken by the Police to prevent obstruction by all these hawkers to the road and pavements. Following a complaint early in March about the condition of the area, two additional litter containers were placed in the vicinity of the school and bus terminus, and the beat of the labourer responsible for sweeping the street was rearranged so that the heavily littered section is swept first thing in the morning.
Following receipt of your question, two 40-gallon dustbins were provided off the road so that hawkers could place refuse in them instead of throwing it on the ground.
I believe that conditions in this area have improved recently.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, if there are no supplementary questions, may I make a statement on behalf of the Appointed Members that we are very pleased indeed that you have exercised your discretion under Standing Order 8(1) and reduced the period of notice so as to admit Dr. BELL's question today and we can only hope that you will similarly favour questions put by all the other 19 Members of this Council who are described as Unofficials.
CHAIRMAN: --Sir, I felt it necessary to be gallant to Dr. BELL in view of her known interest in these matters and her previous association with this Council. I would point out to you, Sir, that I do occasionally exercise this discretion even in respect of questions asked by the Appointed Members, but usually it remains a matter between me and the Member concerned.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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MR. SALES: We support you wholeheartedly in your decision, Sir. We would like that to be a part of today's record of proceedings.
DR. BELL:-Mr. Chairman, on a point of clarification, may I tell Mr. SALES that since I live in Kowloon and it would have meant a special journey across to the Island to deliver my questions before 5 p.m. on Monday, 29th March, I communicated with the Secretary at 4 p.m. and asked his permission if they could be put in the post before 5 p.m. The Secretary accepted it.
CHAIRMAN:-I think that Mr. SALES is referring to the fact that, in theory, you were not eligible to ask a question until 1st April when you became a member again. (Laughter).
MOTIONS.
(1) MR. A. de O. SALES moved the following motion:-
That this Council apply to Government to be given the land formerly occupied by the Services at Causeway Bay so that Victoria Park, now fully developed, may be enlarged and more amenities made available to the public in consequence.
He said: Sir, I understand that today Victoria Park is smaller for road in area than it was when first opened to the public. Improvements and similar reasons, the Urban Council has been called upon to sanction encroachments on the area of Victoria Park. For the building of the road extension which is projected along the waterfront, this Council will no doubt be invited once again to approve of the surrender of more land which now belongs to Victoria Park. At the same time, the Urban Amenities Select Committee has reached the conclusion that Victoria Park does not lend itself for more development in the provision of recreational facilities, because it is necessary to preserve what remains as open space for walks and sitting-out areas.
There are thousands of people living in very congested conditions from one end of the harbour to the other. Yet, these thousands of people have no major recreational facilities, no park of any consequence to spend their leisure time, and more particularly for the children to play instead of roaming the streets. This Council has gone on record, time and again, urging Government to provide open space at sea level along the waterfront. We proposed that Government should set aside part of the reclamation in the Western District for the creation of a park. We suggested that space be provided between Causeway Bay and Chai Wan for more playgrounds and open areas, but no progress has been made beyond vague and imprecise assurances that our proposals would be given the consideration that Government thought they
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