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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1977
+RATHER THAN HAVING A MEAGRE EX-GRATIA COMPENSATION, THEY WOULD MUCH RATHER BE GIVEN THE SAME RIGHT AS SQUATTER FACTORIES OF LESS THAN 3,000 SQUARE FEET, WHICH MAY OPT FOR ACCOMMODATION IN GOVERNMENT FLATTED FACTORY BUILDINGS, HE ADDED.
ANOTHER AREA WHERE GOVERNMENT POLICY WAS INADEQUATE BOTH FOR FACTORIES IN DOMESTIC BLOCKS AS WELL AS IN SQUATTER AREAS, HE CONTINUED, WAS THE NON-ELIGIBLE+ TRADES OR INDUSTRIAL UNDERTAKINGS OF A DANGEROUS OR OBNOXIOUS NATURE.
+SURELY THE GOVERNMENT OUGHT TO HAVE A LONG TERM PLAN TO COPE WITH THE NEED FOR FACTORY SPACE FOR SUCH CATEGORIES OF INDUSTRIAL UNDERTAKINGS,+ MR. CHEONG-LEEN SAID.
SPEAKING DURING THE SAME DEBATE, THE HON. JAMES WU URGED THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT TO TAKE IMMEDIATE STEPS TO PROVIDE FLATTED FACTORIES IN AREAS OF 500 TO 1,000 SQUARE FEET, NOT NORMALLY AVAILABLE FROM PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT, AT REASONABLE RENT AND WITHOUT LOSS OR SUBSIDY.
THIS, HE SAID, WOULD SEEM TO BE A LOGICAL SOLUTION TOWARDS GOVERNMENT'S PROCLAIMED PHASED PROGRAMME IN ALLEVIATING THE PROBLEMS OF FACTORIES IN NON-INDUSTRIAL PREMISES.
ACCORDING TO A GOVERNMENT PAPER PUBLISHED IN 1974, HE SAID IT WAS ESTIMATED THERE WERE AT THAT TIME ABOUT 22,000 SMALL FACTORIES LOCATED IN DOMESTIC BUILDINGS, EMPLOYING A LABOUR FORCE OF OVER 100,000.
MR. WU REITERATED THAT SMALL INDUSTRIES, IN THE FORM OF SPECIALIST WORKSHOPS SUCH AS FOR TOOL-AND-DIES AND FOR SOME SUB-CONTRACT COMPONENT OR ASSEMBLY WORK, WERE ALSO COMMON IN INDUSTRIALLY ADVANCED COUNTRIES AND HAD A DEFINITE ROLE TO PLAY IN HONG KONG'S INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT, +ALTHOUGH IT WOULD BE WRONG TO SUGGEST THAT WE SHOULD PROMOTE A PROLIFERATION OF SMALL INEFFICIENT SET-UPS IN DOMESTIC PREMISES+.
GIVEN HIGH LAND PRICES AND THE ENTERPRISING AND INDUSTRIOUS SPIRIT THAT IS HONG KONG, HE FELT THAT A COMPLETE ELIMINATION OF FACTORIES IN NON-INDUSTRIAL PREMISES MIGHT NOT BE IN SIGHT IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE.
+WE THEREFORE MIGHT HAVE TO TOLERATE FOR SOME TIME EXISTING INDUSTRIAL UNDERTAKINGS IN NON-INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS IF SUCH ARE NEITHER POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS NOR OBNOXIOUS, PENDING A FULL ASSESSMENT AND ACTIVE SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM, AS THE UMELCO AD HOC GROUP ADVISED, HE SAID.
WINDING UP THE DEBATE, THE SECRETARY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, THE HON. DEREK JONES, SAID THE GOVERNMENT'S THINKING ON THE PROBLEM HAD SO FAR BEEN CONCENTRATING ON DEVISING WAYS AND MEANS OF ENCOURAGING PRIVATE DEVELOPERS TO BUILD SMALLER FACTORY UNITS BY PROVIDING SITES ON SPECIAL CONDITIONS.
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