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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
In the absence of the Chairman, Dr. A. H. R. COOMBES, the Vice-Chairman, took the chair.
ADDRESS BY VICE-CHAIRMAN.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the meeting is called to order. As Vice-Chairman I am privileged to take this month's meeting in the absence of the Chairman. I hope I may ask Members' indulgence and their help if I seem a little unacquainted with the finer points of Standing Orders. (Laughter).
Before taking the first item on to-day's agenda, I know Members will wish me to welcome Mr. J. J. ROBSON, the Acting Director of Public Works, who is taking the place of Mr. WRIGHT while Mr. WRIGHT is on leave. (Applause).
MINUTES.
The Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 5th July, 1966 were confirmed.
PAPERS.
THE CHAIRMAN laid upon the table the following papers:
(1) Report on the work of the Urban Council and Urban Services Department for the month of July 1966.
(2) Urban Council and Urban Services Department Statistical Report for the period 1st April, 1966 to 30th June, 1966.
(3) Report by the Commissioner for Resettlement on the progress of clearance and resettlement operations during the period 1st April, 1966 to 30th June, 1966.
MR. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, it is as Chairman of the Parks, Recreation and Amenities Select Committee that I wish to address this Council. I would like to emphasize the point which has been made so clearly in the statistics provided by the Urban Services Department, that the recreational facilities which this Council makes available to the public are used to capacity. That emphasizes the need for Government to provide land and money so that this Council may make available even more and better facilities for recreation. I would like, Sir, with your permission, to draw this Council's attention to the fact that in the period April, May and June 1966, no less than 36,672 games were played on Council's tennis courts. In the same period, Sir, 483,122 people used the Council's two swimming pools. Nearly half a million people availed themselves of the two swimming pools which exist in Hong Kong. If proof were needed, that I submit is proof enough that
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Government should build even more pools. I am aware, Sir, that Council has planned for the construction of swimming complexes, each one of which would have from five to seven swimming pools. I would like to urge Government to expedite the construction of such pools so that the people living in each and every district in Hong Kong may have these facilities which are so badly needed.
VICE-CHAIRMAN:-Thank you, Mr. SALES.
QUESTIONS.
(1) MR. CHEUNG WING-IN asked the following question:-
Some Chinese newspapers have carried a report that:
(a) a young girl died of suffocation in a lift in a Resettlement block in Tsz Wan Shan some two months ago.
(b) as a result of the accident the lift service of Blocks 57 and 58 has been suspended and has not yet been restored.
(c) a number of the 16-storey Resettlement blocks in Tsz Wan Shan Resettlement Estate have been occupied for six months and there is still yet no lift service.
Will the Commissioner for Resettlement say whether the allegations are true? If so, what remedies have been taken to avoid a recurrence of death by suffocation inside a lift in Resettlement Estates?
And could steps be taken to ensure that in future lift service will be ready as and when a Resettlement block is ready for occupation?
MR. LI YIU-BOR, CHAIRMAN OF THE RESETTLEMENT MANAGEMENT SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:
I understand that Mr. CHEUNG Wing-in is referring to a report which appeared in a Chinese newspaper on the 19th July, 1966. This report alleged, among other things:-
(1) that, about two months previously, a young girl who was going to visit a relative on the 17th floor of Block 55, Tsz Wan Shan Estate, was suffocated in a lift which broke down, and later died in hospital;
(2) that, since this accident, the lift in this block has been closed down and the service has not been restored, and