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CHAIRMAN:-Sir, I don't know, I will look into the question. Has my friend, the Director of Public Works, any comment?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:-The answer is: No, Sir. The contract has been let and it is in hand. The equipment has been ordered, and much of it has already arrived in Hong Kong. But it does take time to build these things and to install the equipment, and the end of next year is the earliest date.
DR. LEE: From what I see, I think the incinerator is about 90% complete. Does it take a year to assemble such machinery?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: ---Mr. Chairman, I would not agree with Dr. LEE that the incinerator is about 90% complete.
(3) DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question:—
Is the Chairman aware of the insanitary and filthy uniforms that meat handlers of meat vans wear when they load and off-load animal carcases in the course of meat delivery to their customers in the urban area? How frequently are the uniforms changed each day?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows: -
Meat Porters are issued with a clean khaki smock and a canvas carrying cloth every day. 140 members of the Urban Services Department are employed on the delivery of meat, and to ensure that clean uniforms are always available the Department maintains a stock of 840 smocks. The Prisons Department provides a service which includes the collection and laundering of dirty uniforms and the return of clean ones within 48 hours.
Trials have been carried out with waterproof smocks which would not absorb blood stains and which would, therefore, have a better appearance. These were, however, found to be slippery and uncomfortable to wear and the existing materials were considered to be more satisfactory.
I do not think that the uniforms worn by Meat Porters can normally be described as filthy and insanitary. A clean uniform which has been worn for even a short time will be stained by blood from the carcases which have been carried, and I suggest that the question is not so much a matter of hygiene as of the appearance of the uniforms. I am advised that a daily change is sufficient to maintain an adequate standard of hygiene.
It seems from your question that you may have come across something worse than normal cases of staining. If so, I can only infer that the system of daily issue of clean uniform has failed on a particular occasion or to particular individuals. Since receipt of your question instructions have been issued reiterating the need for the khaki smocks and canvas sheets used by Meat Porters to be changed daily.
DR. LEE:-Mr. Chairman, a supplementary question concerning your answer to my question and that is, I have been around and seen quite a number of the meat porters wearing what I could fairly describe as fairly dirty uniforms. I wonder if the question could be referred to the Select Committee to consider if a change twice daily might improve matters. After all, they are delivering meat which is meant for human consumption and the highest standards should be maintained.
CHAIRMAN: -Yes, Dr. LEE, I will be glad to refer this to the Select Committee concerned. My only remark this afternoon is that a twice daily change is likely to present difficulties owing to the movement of the staff concerned; but this we can deal with in committee.
(4) MR. CHEUNG WING-IN asked the following question:—
Can the Commissioner for Resettlement advise how many empty wooden and stone huts there are in the King's Park Cottage Resettlement Estate?
How does this number of empty huts compare with the total number of huts in the area?
Since representations have been made to the Resettlement Department through the King's Park Kaifong Association and from local residents living there for permission to use the vacant cottages in order to relieve overcrowding, can the Commissioner investigate what can be done to meet such requests?
Since rubbish has been accumulating in many of the vacant huts for months, can the Commissioner take the matter up urgently, particularly as I understand that the residents suffering from overcrowding in the area are prepared to pay the necessary permit fees and costs of renovating the empty huts?
THE COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows:-
The answer to the first part of this question is that there are 100 empty stone-built cottages in this area which belong to Government.
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