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MR. NG: Mr. Chairman, I second the motion.
MR. HU:
Before I can vote for this motion, I would like to know if before this motion was brought to our Council, did we ever inform the relatives of different dead persons in those areas?
CHAIRMAN: -Mr. Hu, this is a motion. You may make a speech but not ask questions.
MR. HU:-But that is not a question, Mr. Chairman. That is a point of clarification before I can vote either for or against it.
CHAIRMAN: In that case, Sir, I suggest you abstain. Does any other member wish to speak on the resolution.
The question was put.
Messrs. B. A. BERNACCHI and Henry
The motion was correct. H. L. Hu abstained from voting.
CHAIRMAN: -Mr. Hu abstained?
MR. HU:-On your advice, Mr. Chairman. (Laughter).
(2) MR. WILFRED S. B. WONG, Chairman of the Food and Food Premises Select Committee, addressed the Chairman and moved:—
THAT the Milk (Amendment) By-laws 1967 be made under section 56 of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance.
He said: The Food and Food Premises Select Committee, of which I am Chairman, has constantly under review the legislation made under the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, in respect of food. Recently on the advice of my Committee, the Council approved draft legislation covering amendments to the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations, and new regulations in respect of dried milk. These amendments to the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations cover in part, matters dealt with under By-law 10 and sub-paragraph (ii) of paragraph (1) of By-law 11 of the Milk By-laws, which relate to the description and/or labelling of re-constituted milk and cream and beverages resembling milk respectively. It can be seen therefore that the Milk By-laws 10 and 11 Sub-section (1)(ii) now have to be cancelled.
The reason for these amendments is that Section 56 of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, under which the Milk By-laws were enacted, relates solely to matters pertaining to the hygiene of
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food and drugs and contains no provision for the prescribing of regulations in respect of description and labelling. Conversely Section 55 of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, contains provisions for the prescribing of regulations in respect of composition and labelling, etc. of food and drugs, and therefore as the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations, were to be amended the opportunity was taken to re-enact these former Milk By-laws in the aforesaid legislation. (Laughter).
The other amendment proposed to the Milk By-laws broadens and clarifies the definition for re-constituted milk so that it includes the product resulting from the melting of frozen concentrated milk, but excludes that resulting from the melting of milk which has been frozen but not concentrated. This explanation which I had hoped to be simple now appears to be complex, (Laughter) but I trust that I have not confused my fellow Members of this Council and ask them to support this motion.
DR. P. F. Woo:-I rise to second the motion which has been so ably moved by Mr. WONG. In moving this motion Mr. WONG has explained very clearly, the legal reasons behind these amendments and, therefore, I will confine my remarks, in the main, to the practical effect.
The main object of the Milk (Amendment) By-laws 1967, is to allow the sale to the general public of frozen milk imported in ready for sale hygienic containers. I am given to understand that freshly pasteurized homogenized milk which has been frozen, sealed in aseptic hygienic containers and stored at a low temperature, returns on thawing to a condition indistinguishable from its original state and that such treatment does not alter its composition. (Laughter). In view of this, it seems wrong that this frozen milk, which on thawing returns to a condition indistinguishable from its original state must, because of the definition given in the present Milk By-laws for "re-constituted milk”, be labelled as "re-constituted milk”.
It is now proposed by Clause 2 of the Milk (Amendment) By-laws 1967, to insert in the definition of "re-constituted milk” in Milk By-laws 3, the word "concentrated" after the word "frozen", and this will not only safeguard the present position, whereby any product made by the melting of concentrated frozen milk must be treated and labelled as "re-constituted milk", but allow the sale without it being labelled as "re-constituted milk” of frozen milk of which the composition has not been altered. (Laughter).
Clauses 3 and 4 of the Milk (Amendment) By-laws 1967, simply remove from the Milk By-laws certain labelling requirements for as Mr. Wong has explained, the section of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance under which the Milk By-laws are made do not
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