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MR. FORSGATE:-Mr. Chairman, before I ask two supplementary questions, the nautical flavour of your answer to my question reminds me of the motto of a destroyer during the war and as you are of a classical frame of mind, I will repeat it to you because it might apply to your chair. The motto is "Ut veniant omnes" Let 'em all come. (Laughter).
My question is no longer hypothetical—it is a fact. According to the papers the beaches at Repulse Bay are now polluted. Your answer to my question about the eventuality depending on the state of the tide and wind—well, the tide ebbs and flows twice in twenty-four hours, except occasionally at neap-tides, when there is only one high water, so the chances of pollution are very real indeed.
The question of the cost, I think, is something which the Urban Services Department should not assume because anyone who throws rubbish into the waters of the Colony or otherwise permits oil to leak, is heavily fined, and as you indicated, the cost of cleaning these beaches could be very high. I think this is something which should be considered.
MR. Lo:-Mr. Chairman, in support what Mr. FORSGATE has said. I would like to say that this question is definitely no longer hypothetical, although it depends to a certain extent on the direction of the wind. Yesterday morning when I got up from my bed, I smelt a very strong smell of oil, and I looked around my house, and I thought perhaps my servants may have upset some oil, and when I looked at the sea I saw patches of oil in Deep Water Bay. This morning when I walked down to the beach, the sand was covered with oil (Laughter) and this is found all over Deep Water Bay beach. (Mr. Lo produced a sample of sand collected at Deep Water Bay). I understand it is the same at Repulse Bay, and I would like to know what can be done in order to get the oil dispersed, because apparently it goes in and out with the tide, but it leaves a fringe along the bay. I would like to know whether it would be possible to request the Fire Services to spray some chemical on the oil to disperse it.
CHAIRMAN: --I said this question was somewhat hypothetical. (Laughter). In fact I was warned at 3 o'clock this afternoon that it ceased to be hypothetical, it was a fact. Sir, I understand that a statement was released through the Government Information Services that Repulse Bay beach has in fact been seriously polluted by oil since yesterday. The pollution is continuing, and there is a risk that it will spread to the beaches at Middle Bay and South Bay.
Without making a chemical analysis of the oil, the Director of Marine cannot pinpoint its source with any certainty. It is possible that the oil has come from the oil tanker "Thomas P" lying off Lamma Island and which I believe sprang a further leak two days ago.
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The staff of the Department are already taking action to clean Repulse Bay beach. Badly contaminated driftwood and sand—and I am glad, Sir, that you have been helping in this matter (Laughter) is being removed from the beach by lorry, and sand which is only contaminated to a small extent is being buried. The Department is in touch with a firm supplying special chemicals for the removal of oil by emulsification with a view to experimenting in its use on Repulse Bay beach. The Director of Marine is arranging separately for an experiment in the use of these chemicals in dealing with floating oil.
The Department is keeping in very close touch with the Marine Department, and I can assure you, Sir, that it will keep members of this Council, and in particular the members of the Urban Amenities Select Committee and the public informed of developments.
MR. SALES:Sir, may I have your permission to make a statement, as Chairman of the Urban Amenities Select Committee?
It is just not enough for your Department to keep in close touch with the Marine Department. What the Urban Council wants is action in the public interest. Surely this tanker has been stranded for certainly about a fortnight, and if the Marine Department had been more energetic they could have taken precautionary measures to prevent such an occurrence.
And Sir, I would like to speak in the strongest terms again about the fact that evidently no precaution was taken at all; so much so that all the most popular beaches on the southern part of the island are now being polluted to the extent that presumably they will not be ready for use when the swimming season starts—as it actually has started for many people.
Sir, I would like to take this opportunity also to point out to you the fact that in my view the Marine Department has been most dilatory about this matter, as far as the layman is concerned. The condition of the harbour, ever since my celebrated helicopter flight (Laughter) has not improved at all. If the harbour is clean at times, it is merely because of the direction of the tide and wind; and on the occasion of the arrival of Her Royal Highness the Princess, the water right in front of Queen's Pier was in a disgraceful condition, as most Urban Councillors saw; and I think public money is not being spent as it should be to preserve the amenities of this Colony for public use. We have not got enough beaches on the Island, and Government should accept as its first responsibility the taking of all adequate measures to ensure that the public has the enjoyment of these facilities. I would like an inquiry to be made into the steps taken by the Marine Department ever since this disaster occurred.
MR. BERNACCHI:-On a point of order, Mr. Chairman, should not my friend Mr. SALES move a substantive motion that the Marine Department...
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