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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
CHAIRMAN:- I am afraid this is out of order, Mr. Lo. It is quite another matter.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, when the Commissioner gave particulars of the cost per person, did he count children under ten as half units, or did he take them as full units in accordance with the formula advocated by this Council?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:- Mr. Chairman, I was referring to "per person", not in units.
MR. SALES: -Well, Mr. Chairman, according to the Government, children under ten are not persons; two of them count as one. Does the Commissioner subscribe to that formula?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: -I do not wish to express an opinion.
MR. SALES: I beg your pardon, Sir, the Commissioner is very shy today (laughter). We haven't yet been able to get his answers.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:- I do not wish to express an opinion.
MR. SALES: I wasn't asking the Commissioner to express an opinion. I was asking him for the basis of calculation in order to arrive at the answer he gave to my Friend and colleague, Mr. T. S. Lo.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:- I have given an estimate on the basis of 1,084,730 persons as at 31st July, 1970.
MR. C. K. CHAN:- Mr. Chairman, if Mr. Commissioner hasn't got the figure available, I would be very grateful if he could supply us the answer the day after tomorrow when we have a joint meeting of the Management and Policy Select Committee. I am sure he has no objection to that.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:- Mr. Chairman, I was answering a question as put.
MR. LO: To clarify my previous question, perhaps you will now rule it in order, I do not know, but when I was referring to units I wasn't referring to half children. (Laughter).
MR. C. K. CHAN:- Mr. Chairman, just to satisfy our curiosity, whether it is calculated on a basis children under ten as half or as one, can we have the satisfaction of knowing the day after tomorrow- that gives 48 hours, Sir, for the department to prepare a very simple answer.
CHAIRMAN:- I shall make the necessary enquiry.
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(2) MR. PETER P. F. CHAN asked the following question:
Is it true that our crematoria are so popular that applications to cremate cannot on some occasions be dealt with and accepted instantly? If this is so, may I ask the Select Committee concerned to look into the possibility of recommending either improving the facilities in our existing crematoria or of establishing new ones in the Colony?
MR. SOLOMON RAFEEK, CHAIRMAN OF THE CEMETERIES, CREMATORIA AND FUNERAL PARLOURS SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:
Sir, the only crematoria involved in this question are those at Cape Collinson and Diamond Hill, (as Wo Hop Shek Crematorium cremates only exhumed human remains). The daily capacity of these two crematoria for private cremations is 15 and 4 respectively, while the average number of such cremations is at present 7. However, it is true that there are occasions when the number of applications in Kowloon exceeds the capacity of the Diamond Hill Crematorium. On such occasions, applicants are advised to use the facilities at Cape Collinson, but some prefer to wait another day. For this reason, the Diamond Hill Crematorium operates on Sundays and public holidays when the need arises.
We in the Select Committee are well aware of the situation and have already planned the reprovisioning of the Diamond Hill Crematorium which is an item in Category B of the Public Works Programme. This new crematorium will have a daily capacity of 15 private cremations with the possibility of expansion to 25 such cremations.
MR. P. F. CHAN:- Thank you, Mr. Chairman, no supplementaries.
MR. FORSGATE:- Mr. Chairman, as Chairman of the Abattoirs Select Committee, we can offer the services of our cremating facilities at Cheung Sha Wan and Kennedy Town if people are really in a hurry. (Laughter).
(3) MR. PETER P. F. CHAN asked the following question:-
I understand that the ground inside the race course in Happy Valley is under the Council's control. In view of the need for car parks in that area both on racing and non-racing days, can the Council consider the feasibility of constructing an underground car park there?
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