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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1985
GREAT IMPROVEMENTS IN CONCRETE QUALITY, CONTROL
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THERE HAVE BEEN GREAT IMPROVEMENTS IN CONCRETE SPECIFICATIONS AND QUALITY CONTROL OVER THE PAST DECADE. THE SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS, THE HON NICKY CHAN, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
ANSWERING POINTS RAISED BY UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS ABOUT SUBSTANDAR CONCRETE IN 26 PUBLIC HOUSING BLOCKS, MR CHAN SAID THERE WERE NOW IMPROVED LABORATORY FACILITIES AND MORE STRINGENT CONTROL OF TESTING PROCEDURES.
+THERE IS GREATER EMPHASIS ON TRAINING FOR SUPERVISORY STAFF AND NO LESS THAN 2 700 SITE STAFF HAVE UNDERGONE COURSES ON SITE CONCRETE CONTROL DURING THE LAST TWO YEARS.
+CONTROL OF CONTRACTORS IS NOW BETTER, WITH IMPROVED LEVELS OF SUPERVISION AND CLOSER MONITORING OF CONTRACTORS' PERFORMANCE.+
TO ILLUSTRATE HOW THINGS HAD IMPROVED, MR CHAN SAID THAT AFTER THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY THE FORMER PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT CONTINUED TO BUILD PUBLIC HOUSING FOR ABOUT 300 000 PEOPLE BETWEEN 1973 AND 1980, +RECENT TESTS HAVE SHOWN THAT THESE BLOCKS ARE SOUND AND SAFE,+ HE ADDED.
+A FEW MEMBERS HAVE ASKED WHETHER THE 26 BLOCKS IN QUESTION WOULD HAVE BEEN DECLARED DANGEROUS AND CLOSED RIGHT AWAY IF THEY WERE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR. THE ANSWER IS NO. BASED ON THE TECHNICAL REPORTS AVAILABLE, THESE BLOCKS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DECLARED DANGEROUS UNDER THE BUILDINGS ORDINANCE IF THEY WERE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, MR CHAN SAID.
HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT REGARDED THE SUBSTANDARD WORK IN THE 26 BLOCKS AS A SERIOUS MATTER. +THE GOVERNMENT WILL SPARE NO EFFORT TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT, HE SAID.
MR CHAN SAID IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT THE MATTER SHOULD BE VIEWED IN CONTEXT. HE SAID MANY OF THE PROBLEM BLOCKS WERE BUILT IN THE 1960'S WHEN THERE WAS A SUDDEN INFLUX OF IMMIGRANTS AND A RAPID GROWTH OF THE SQUATTER PROBLEM.
+ THE GOVERNMENT WAS UNDER TREMENDOUS PRESSURE TO PROVIDE HOUSING FOR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF SQUATTERS,+ MR CHAN SAID.
+SPEED AND LOW COST WERE THE MAIN CONSIDERATIONS, AND NEW BLOCKS WERE BUILT AT THE RATE OF ROUGHLY ONE EVERY WEEK.
+THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY AT THAT TIME WAS TO BUILD LOW-COST HOUSING BY REDUCING FIXTURES AND FINISHINGS TO ABSOLUTF BASICS AND TO KEEP THE COST DOWN BY THE SIMPLICITY OF THE DESIGN THEREBY ACHIEVING THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF UNITS WITHIN THE BUDGET,
/+BUT AT