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CHAIRMAN:--I have nothing to add to what I have said. If you wish us to look into the matter again, we will do so.
MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, I would be very glad if you would have this matter looked into very carefully and report to the Committee concerned.
MR. BERNACCHI :-Mr. Chairman, as a supplementary, do I gather from your answer that the provision of latrines in squatter areas is a question at present of hit-or-miss, and that there is no definite rule laid down as to the number of latrines per head of the population?
CHAIRMAN:-I have already said, Sir, that as a working guide latrines are normally provided on a scale of 1 for every 100 inhabitants, but the situation may vary in different areas.
(2) MRS. E. ELLIOTT asked the following question:-
Since resettlement plans have been made for the next 5 or 6 years, could surveys be made 3 years in advance in the case of factories, and six months in advance in the case of domestic premises, followed by notice regarding future clearance, to avoid further hardships such as those experienced by the factories at Ngau Tau Kok, and to enable domestic tenants to plan ahead?
THE COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows:-
I will deal with this question in two parts; firstly in regard to the clearance of persons, businesses and industries in unlawful structures on Crown land and secondly in regard to the clearance of industries occupying Crown land on permit.
The present clearance procedure for unlawful structures on Crown land is that, on receipt of an application from the Superintendent of Crown Lands and Survey that a clearance of squatters is required for a particular development project, the Resettlement Department carries out a preliminary survey in order to establish what will be affected in terms of businesses, industries, cultivation and persons. From the details obtained from this survey it is then possible to arrive at an approximate clearance date having regard both to other clearance projects already on the clearance schedule and to the completion dates of new resettlement blocks. This preliminary survey may be said to be the first notice that the squatters occupying the unlawful structures receive of an intention to clear and resettle them. During the past 6 months 76 clearances of unlawful structures, predominantly of a domestic nature, have been carried out and, on an average, the preliminary survey was done about 8 months ahead of each clearance. Actual screening was generally carried out about 2 months after the preliminary survey—that is about 6 months ahead of clearance—and it was at the screening stage that 'white cards' were issued, followed shortly after by formal clearance notices. In general therefore, squatters in unlawful structures are already given up to 6 months' warning of clearance but I cannot guarantee that this warning period can be adhered to in every case. Members will appreciate that there will be occasions when an unforeseen clearance of unlawful structures must be carried out with little notice or warning beforehand.
I now turn to the second point—that of the clearance of industries occupying Crown land on permit. I will deal with this in regard to concentrations of such industries as for example those at Ngau Tau Kok and Cheung Sha Wan. It is the policy to give permittee-industrialists as much warning as possible of clearance. In the case of the industries due to be cleared very shortly at Ngau Tau Kok, the Resettlement Department first surveyed the area over 2 years ago in January 1963 and screening officers were under instructions at that time to give an oral warning to each industrialist of the intention to clear and advise them to find alternative accommodation as quickly as possible. All industrialists at Ngau Tau Kok had their permits cancelled last year and were given a minimum of 6 months' written notice of Government's intention to clear the land; a substantial number received 9 months' notice. 82% of the industries to be cleared are eligible for resettlement in resettlement flatted factories (in some cases subject to change of trade) and their removal to this accommodation should not cause them any undue hardship. The remaining 18% are not eligible for resettlement because their working space, individually, is in excess of the maximum area qualifying them for resettlement, or because they moved into their premises after the 1963 survey.
As regards the industries due for clearance this year at Cheung Sha Wan, the first notice of Government's intention to reclaim this bay was given almost 6 years ago. This was the first warning to industrialists in that locality that they would, sooner or later, have to be cleared. In the past 3 years, sites have been sold both on the new seafront at
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