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the Urban area, and there are only two Urban Council libraries. (Laughter.)
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: But the size is entirely different, Mr. Chairman, and the Commissioner has not answered me as to what the size of the libraries in the estates are.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: I would be glad to give you the details, but I am afraid I couldn't answer that off hand.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: They cannot be too significant, otherwise he would have the size and number at his fingertips. (Laughter). Now Mr. Chairman. Because of the large number of young people in our estates, has the department considered urging Government to have Youth Employment Centres within some of our larger estates?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: The Resettlement Department has not made such suggestions. It is a matter for the Labour Department. It is not in the province of my Department.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: Since the Resettlement Department is generally responsible for the over-all welfare of residents in our estates, is the Commissioner sure that he is not passing the buck to the Labour Department?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: No, it would be outside my province to open such centres in the estates, but Mr. CHEONG-LEEN will be aware that on various occasions in connexion with the opening of new estates, where the original occupants were being resettled from some distance away, in some cases across the harbour, special arrangements were made to draw their attention to the facilities which the Labour Department provides in district offices throughout the town.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: Mr. Chairman, I do think the time has come for Youth Employment Centres to be established in all the bigger estates, and I would ask the Commissioner to please have a paper issued on that to be circulated to the members of the Resettlement Management Select Committee at one of its later meetings.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: I would gladly do so, but I think in the first instance it would be more appropriate if I were to consult the Commissioner for Labour to obtain his views.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: I would be very happy if you did, and would you also consult the Director of Social Welfare as well?
MR. BERNACCHI: I would like a clear announcement or a clear decision, not necessarily to-day, but at some future date, whether it is or is not within the jurisdiction of this Council to open Labour Exchanges in resettlement estates. I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. CHEONG-LEEN that Labour Exchanges are most essential, and if this Council can lead the way I should also be very grateful to this Council, because I envisage that unemployment will become a problem in a year or two's time.
MR. SALES: Sir, in point of fact the Resettlement Policy Select Committee insisted that no new resettlement estate, which involved the movement of great numbers of people, was to be started without the Resettlement Department, the Labour Department and the Resettlement Policy Select Committee, satisfying themselves that adequate measures would be taken to ensure that all employment facilities would be made known to the residents of these new estates. I believe that it was also the intention of the Resettlement Policy Select Committee that the Labour Department should be encouraged to set up permanent offices in the larger resettlement estates. So this point ought to be taken up very seriously by the Resettlement Department, and a report made to the Select Committee as soon as possible.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: I can assure Mr. SALES that on the opening of new estates this is the regular practice.
(3)
MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:
A number of North Point residents have urged that the old Refugee Camp site at North Point be converted into a public park and/or children's playground:
(a) Will the Chairman please state whether or not this site has already been allocated to the Council by Government, and if so when it will be handed over to the Council?
(b) What are the plans for the development of the site once it has been handed over to the Council?
MR. A. de O. SALES, CHAIRMAN OF THE URBAN AMENITIES SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:
The Urban Amenities Select Committee has been pressing repeatedly in the last few years for the allocation of this site to the Council for early development as a public playground containing a children's play area, hard surfaced games pitches and a rest garden.
The site has not yet been allocated to the Council but I am informed that it is scheduled as open space on the Town Planning Board's statutory plan for North Point, which
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