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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
The estimated increase in staff cost for the year 1980-81 is about $99 million; that is about 33% more than last year. This does not include the recent demand for more wages. The staff cost nearly equals the total amount of U.C. rates. It shows that expenditure, besides staff cost, will be met by other sources of revenue.
If the public object to the increase of fees or rents received by the U.C., the other way to solve the problem is either to increase rates, or to receive subsidy from the Central Government as the Government does have surplus for several years.
Some people suggest cutting down some of the cultural programmes or recreation activities. This is highly undesirable for a city with an expanding population.
As the rate of construction cost increases by about 2% a month, the delay in any capital project means higher cost. It may mean that less facilities will be available to the public. It is a good policy to speed up the construction work of all planned projects provided the Council has the money.
Mr. Chairman, with these comments, I support the motion.
(Mr. Edmund W. H. Chow left during Mr. Shum Choi-sang's address.)
MRS. GRACE HO (in English):- Mr. Chairman, as Chairman of the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee, I would like to speak mainly on topics relating to the Committee's work.
During the past year, we considered the recommendations made by the Urban Services Department Cleansing Team Review on Gully Cleaning and Refuse Collection. Implementation of the recommendations together with those made earlier on Street Sweeping and Street Washing should see an improvement in the environmental conditions of Hong Kong. During the year, orders were placed for specialized vehicles for collection of refuse. The total capital outlay for vehicles engaged in environmental health activities for 1979-80 was approximately $18 million. The Committee is responsible for a fleet of over 457 vehicles ranging from standard lorries for junk collection to sophisticated Revopak refuse collection vehicles with special equipment for shearing and crushing poultry baskets and junk as they are loaded onto the vehicle in order to increase carrying capacity. A schedule showing the number of vehicles and their different types is appended.
Obviously, a fleet of vehicles of this size comprising many expensive specialized vehicles requires proper garaging and maintenance. However, these essential facilities are lacking. There is only one proper depot in Kowloon and another in Hong Kong at Sai Yee Street and Whitfield Road, respectively. As a result, many of the Council's vehicles have for some years been parked overnight at whatever temporary sites are available such as at Ho Man Tin and at Kennedy Town without even basic facilities for carrying out minor repairs or cleaning.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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Furthermore, there is tremendous wastage of staff time and reduction of vehicle usage as vehicles travel some distance to their place of operation not to mention heavier fuel consumption in these days of energy shortage and higher prices. There is therefore a pressing need for Government to release land to build permanent vehicle depots in east, central and west Kowloon and Hong Kong, with adequate facilities and equipment for frontline and second-line maintenance and repairs by specialized staff. When these are available, the high down-time of vehicles can be reduced and there would be greater efficiency as well as savings in the cost of keeping the urban areas clean.
Whilst on the subject of cleansing, I reiterate my call a year ago that developers must be required to provide refuse collection facilities within their premises, especially in large-scale projects in new areas as well as in re-development of old building sites. With land value at today's prices, it is essential that this should be made mandatory in the Crown leases and building restrictions, otherwise it is unlikely, except for a very few exemplary developers, that valuable ground floor area would be provided for refuse chutes and collection chambers. Unless this is done, we cannot be rid of unsatisfactory temporary on-street refuse collection points which are nuisances to the neighbourhood.
The programme for the 'Keep Hong Kong Clean' Campaign for the coming year is tabled. During the past year, there has been a visible deterioration of our environment within the urban areas mainly because of the upheavals caused by the Modified Initial Scheme works sites in Kowloon and construction sites throughout Hong Kong and Kowloon have encouraged people to discard rubbish into the rubble mounds or trenches. With the completion of the modified Mass Transit Railway system this year and reinstatement of road surfaces, we consider that an intensive cleanup campaign is due and I therefore call on the whole community to respond.
In the countryside, new parks for the enjoyment of our people are often covered by rubbish especially at barbecue sites by selfish picnickers who scatter bits of paper and food remains all around them although litter bins are close by. The cost of cleaning up of Hong Kong's litterbugs is borne by the majority of our law-abiding ratepayers. I therefore call upon the magistrates to levy punitive fines on persons found guilty of such anti-social behaviour and to deter prospective litterbugs. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the many people and organizations who have taken part in the Campaign work for the past year and to the staff of the Urban Services Department who have the daily task of keeping Hong Kong clean.
During the year, we had to consider the question of automatic machines in places licensed under the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance Cap. 132. The Miscellaneous Licenses Ordinance Cap. 114 defines ‘automatic machines' as any mechanical device which is designed-
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