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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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pected to initiate action on them and to take full account of their contents in drafting policies and plans. The department also studies the Daily Press Summaries pre- pared by the Information Services Department. In addi- tion the Urban Services Department's own staff translates Chinese language press cuttings when required.
A count taken last year of 12 selected Chinese language news- papers showed that their total coverage of Urban Council and Urban Services Department matters was running at the rate of about 140,000 characters a month. As a result of this count a second post of Interpreter/Translator has now been provided for the department. A third post will be sought if necessary.
The answer to the second part of the question is that the department does strive to act on all legitimate complaints appearing in Chinese language newspapers, but that formal replies have seldom been addressed to the editors because, so far as I can ascertain, the complaints have usually appeared as news items or editorials.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, from your reply there is the implication that great attention is paid to news items or editorials concerning the work of the Urban Council which is passed around the various sections of the Department. I have been told by a number of editors of Chinese newspapers that, from their observations, much quicker action is taken on complaints or suggestions on the Urban Council's work when they appear in the English language correspond- ence columns. Could I have your assurance, Mr. Chairman, that atten- tion will be paid by the translation staff, not only to the editorials and news items, but also to the correspondence columns of the Chinese language newspapers? I have noticed just to-day a complaint con- cerning rats which appeared in the Chinese Press, but this is a transla- tion of a letter in the correspondence column of an English language newspaper. So, may I have your assurance, Sir, that equal emphasis will also be paid, not only to editorials and news items, but also to letters of complaint or suggestions which appear in the correspondence columns of Chinese language newspapers?
CHAIRMAN: Yes, Sir, I am glad to give you that assurance, and it is not with any intention of making a repartee that I must refer to the fact that I see from the Information Services Department's bulletins and translations of a few days ago, that when Dr. van de LINDE answered a letter of a correspondent in the Kung Sheung Yat Pao, his letter was dated March 22nd, but it was not published by the editor until March 25th. There is a worse case in which the Commissioner for Resettlement assured a correspondent of the Sing Tao Man Pao that his complaint about a dog nuisance in the Resettlement Estate
where he lived was being dealt with. The Commissioner's letter was sent to the paper on March 17th, but was not published until ten days later.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: In connexion with that, Mr. Chairman, was that letter sent only in English, or was a Chinese translation attached?
CHAIRMAN: -The Information Services Department item does not
say.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: —Mr. Chairman, my letter would certainly be in Chinese as well as English.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: Mr. Chairman, doesn't this then call for closer public relations with the Chinese Press?
CHAIRMAN:-Well, Sir, you have made your point.
(10) MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question :-
(a) What is the estimated number of rats in Hong Kong?
Is the number growing?
(b) How many cases of rats biting human beings have been
reported in Hong Kong during the past six months?
(c) To what extent do rats in Hong Kong pose a health and
hygiene manace?
(d) Is there generally close co-operations between the Urban
Services Department in the elimination of rats?
THE DEPUTY Director of MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES replied as follows:
I regret that it is not possible to give any reliable estimate of the total number of rats in Hong Kong (Laughter) and any attempt to do so would be wild guess work. However, the fact that the number of rats trapped and poisoned in rodent control operations and the number of those collected from public rat bins has not changed significantly, indicates that there has been no general in- crease in the urban rat population in recent years. There has also been a small decrease in the number of requests for rodent disinfestation of private premises.
Only three cases of rats biting human beings in Hong Kong have become known to the Department during the past six months. One was reported in the press, one by the police and another by a member of the public. In all such cases a rodent infestation survey is carried out and appropriate control measures are taken.
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