No_5_1956 — Page 74

Gardens to enable the Public Works victims of the Tai Wan Hill and Shing commenced in February and the third Department to form the area into a Tak Hill squatter fires of December, in March. It is anticipated that the public park and playground. Because 1954, were cleared from streets in first two blocks will be completed the only available resettlement accom- Hunghom and resettled in the Hung- early in June, 1957. modation was in Kowloon, these hom Estate.

Working drawings for a resettlement squatters were ferried across the har- 106 pavement huts occupied by 585 factory at Cheungshawan have been bour and resettled in the Li Cheng Uk persons (135 families) who were vic- completed by the Public Works De- Estate.

tims of the Taipo Road squatter fire partment, and a piling contract has 139 huts containing 959 persons of November, 1954, were cleared from been let. Piling work will commence (218 families) were cleared for the Un Chau Street and Fuk Wing Strect in early April, 1957. extension to the Tin Hau Temple in Shamshuipo and resettled in 124 Road. These squatters

stone also new were

cottages built by the ferried across the harbour and reset- National Catholic Welfare Conference tled in the Li Cheng Uk Estate.

in Tai Woh Ping Resettlement Area.

BUILDING PROGRAMME The Public Works Department con- tinued to make good progress and a total of six blocks were completed during the quarter. Details are follows:-

17 huts containing 276 persons (61 families) were cleared along the western side of Fei Ngo Shan Road, Wong Tai Sin, to provide access to the site for the new Wong Tai Sin Resettlement Estate.

124 huts containing 1,551 persons (323 families) were cleared from an extension to the site of the Housing Authority's first estate in Kowloon. These persons were resettled in the Li Cheng Uk Estate.

as

The fourth and last block at Li

ADMINISTRATION OF ESTATES

At the end of the quarter, the popu- lation of the multi-storey estates was 139,797 of whom 19,804 were living in the emergency two and three storey buildings at Shek Kip Mei.

More allocations of ground floor rooms for use as shops and workshops. have been made, bringing the total up Cheng Uk Estate was completed on of these shops and workshops have to 425 shops and 152 workshops. 397 22 January, 1957.

been allocated complete bays of 240 Site formation for the fourth and sq.ft. each, for which a monthly rent last block at Hunghom Estate is still of $100 is charged. The remaining in progress. 378 rooms in the first 180 shops and workshops occupy half three blocks cannot be occupied be- bays of 120 sq.ft. each, at a monthly cause of blasting operations on Tai rental of $50. In addition to these, Wan Hill.

there are 41 restaurants, 12 cafes and At the Shek Kip Mei Redevelop 7 food shops (fresh meat and fish) for ment, Stage II, two blocks were com- which the Urban Council has issued pleted in January, one in February licences. and two in March. The sixth and last $1,049,168 was collected in rent for block will be completed in April, 1957. rooms in the four resetttlement estates Clearance of fire victims from huts on Preliminary work in connection with and $755 had to be written off as the streets of Kowloon

Stage III Redevelopment is in hand. irrecoverable arrears. The correspond- Construction work on the first two ing figures for the previous quarter blocks of the Lo Fu Ngam Estate was were $983,492 and $288.

61 huts containing 359 persons (88 families) were cleared in seven small operations mainly for the Local Civil Servants' housing scheme in Homan- tin Street, two housing schemes in Valley Road, Hunghom, (Phase 1), and a new school in Willow Street, Taikoktsui, (Phase I).

305 pavement huts occupied by 1,609 persons (407 families) who were

MALAYAN TIMBERS

BW PARQUET FLOORING

production in Malaya local timbers, long by one inch wide. In the rapidly developing industrial mainly kempas and keruing, have When the small blocks of wood section of Petaling Jaya, Singapore, been found to be extremely suitable. emerge from the cutter they are is a flourishing modern factory which Hitherto most of the parquet flooring carried away on a conveyor belt produces terrazzo tiles and parquet in Malaya has been made from exper and dropped into а silo. Around flooring.

sive imported teak. All the timber the silo a dozen operators are The factory, which is the enterprise used for BW Parquet is Tanalised at work assembling the small pieces of The China Engineers, Ltd., was before processing so that it is com- of wood into jigs in parquet designs. completed in May last year and has pletely termite-proof.

Each square of parquet measures ap-

been producing terrazzo tiles since It is then air-dried and seasoned for proximately 2 feet square and is that date. Recently a new division between four to six months and is papered together in a similar process for the manufacture of parquet floor- finally kiln-dried down to the exact used in the assembly of mosaic tiles. ing was set up in the factory and a moisture content appertaining in the An infinite variety of mosaic designs new company, BW Parquet (Malaya) place in which it is to be laid. Great can be made simply by combining Ltd., was formed to look after these store is put on this drying process woods of different colour tones and interests. The China Engineers, Ltd. because it prevents any expansion or grains. act as Secretaries and General Mana- gers of this Company.

contraction of the timber after it has BW Parquet can be laid extremely been laid. The timber is then sent to quickly causing very little incon- The BW Parquet process was in- a high-precision heavy-duty cutter venience to the contractors or house- vented several years ago in Switzerland which cuts the wood into small holder, which is a great advantage by Bauwerk Ltd., the world famous squares. These squares then pass over the normal tongued and grooved manufacturers of parquet flooring. through another part of the same flooring. BW Parquet has also been This process produces a very much machine and are planed on both sides. successfully used for wall panelling, more economical, durable and beauti- After planing the squares are put in doors, table tops, laboratory floors ful parquet flooring than the normal revolving cutters which cut them up and even ceilings. It can be laid on tongued and grooved process. For its into oblong picces each five inches almost any foundation.

72