XN000022-1976-04-28 — Page 14

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 1976

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EXPANSION PROGRAMME FOR CREMATOR I A

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THE SECRETARY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, THE HON. JAMES ROBSON, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY THAT HE FULLY SUPPORTED THE URBAN COUNCIL'S MOVE TO PRESS FOR THE CAPACITY OF CREMATORIA TO BE INCREASED.

ANSWERING A QUESTION BY DR. THE HON. HARRY FANG, MR. ROBSON SAID THIS WAS NOT ONLY BECAUSE IT WOULD REDUCE THE RISK OF LONG WAITING PERIODS BUT ALSO BECAUSE CREMATION WOULD REDUCE THE NEED TO PROVIDE SCARCE LAND FOR BURIALS.

+WITH THE EASING OF FINANCIAL STRINGENCIES IT IS INTENDED TO PRESS AHEAD WITH AN EXPANSION PROGRAMME, AND IN FACT ORDERS HAVE BEEN PLACED FOR NEW CREMATORS TO BE ADDED TO THE EXISTING CAPE COLLINSON CREMATORIUM,+ HE SAID. THESE SHOULD BE IN OPERATION WITHIN A YEAR, AND POSSIBLY IN LATE 1977 THE SMALL AND ELDERLY DIAMOND HILL CREMATORIUM CAN BE REPLACED, AND THE CAPACITY INCREASED.+

DR. FANG HAD ASKED HOW QUICKLY COULD STEPS BE TAKEN TO REDUCE THE PRESENT WAITING PERIODS FOR CREMATIONS AT THE TWO CREMATORIA.

MR. ROBSON SAID THE PRESENT WAITING PERIOD AT THE CREMATORIA WAS TWO DAYS, WHICH HE DESCRIBED AS +NOT UNREASONABLE+.

HOWEVER, HE SAID THE QUESTION COULD HAVE BEEN PROMPTED BY THE SITUATION EARLIER THIS YEAR, WHEN THE WAITING PERIOD CREPT UP TO FIVE DAYS OR MORE.

IN THIS RESPECT, HE SAID THE URBAN COUNCIL HAD TAKEN STEPS TO CUT DOWN THE WAITING TIME AND HAD INTRODUCED MEASURES WHICH, FOR THE TIME BEING, WOULD LIKELY HOLD THE WAITING TIME AT TWO DAYS.

HE POINTED OUT THAT THE MAIN CAUSE OF DELAYS WITH CREMATIONS WAS THE PRESENT OVERLOADING OF THE TWO CREMATORIA. THIS MAKED PROPER MAINTENANCE DIFFICULT AND CREATES A CONSTANT DANGER OF SERIOUS DISRUPTION IN THE EVENT OF BREAKDOWN, HE SAID.

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