266
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
which, if left where they are, completely prevents the general housing development of the Colony, and in the case of roof-top squatters and street sleepers are a direct menace to our public health. We are resettling them not because they are a privileged class but because their clearance is a vital necessity to the well-being of the community as a whole, and that common sense and humanity show we cannot clear them unless we are prepared to resettle them. But let me make it clear that it is our duty to ensure that hand in hand with resettlement goes an extensive re-housing programme for the community as a whole under the auspices of the Housing Authority.
MR. P. C. Woo seconded.
He said: I entirely concur with what the proposer has just said to the effect that roof-top squatters have become a menace to public health in general. This is so serious a problem that the Council must reconsider its whole policy in respect to roof-top squatting. Furthermore, most of the houses in Hong Kong that were built before the War have wooden staircases, no fire escapes and in cases of fire occurring in the buildings the persons who suffer most will be the roof-top squatters as was shown in the case of the Canton Road houses. We cannot just sit back and allow further fires and loss of life to occur as occurred there the other day.
Another consideration that affects us in moving this Motion to-day is that Government has taken action to register roof-top squatters but has not yet resettled them and there is always the possibility of more squatters occupying the roof-tops. Even between the period when the Council carried out a preliminary survey of roof-top squatters and when a final survey was carried out by the Resettlement Department, the number had risen in a couple of weeks by well over 40% as much again. Although the total number of squatters that have now been resettled is well over the 210,000 mark, nevertheless most of them are former fire victims and in our view, the time has now come when we must consider also the fire victims in the streets and the potential fire victims that are squatting on the roofs.
I therefore agree with the proposer that it is now time for a reconsideration of our Council's policy and I am happy to second this Motion.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
267
CHAIRMAN :—The official view is that this motion is contrary to the present policy being pursued by the Resettlement and Clearance Policy Select Committee, and that therefore it should be considered in the first instance by that Select Committee. For this reason I now move under Standing Order 10(18)(i) that the subject of debate be referred to the Resettlement and Clearance Policy Select Committee.
THE COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT seconded.
He said: I beg to second that motion and in doing so would like to take the opportunity of saying a few words about the present policy on these matters. So far as squatter fire victims are concerned the policy is not to allow squatter fires to disrupt the programme for the clearance of sites urgently required for important projects such as low-cost housing schemes, schools, welfare centres, factories and important P.W.D. projects for new drainage schemes, new roads and new water works. This does not mean that squatter fire victims are not being resettled at all, as is shown by the fact that during 1956 no less than 14,000 squatter fire victims on the streets were given resettlement. It means that the inconvenience which squatter fire victims cause to the residents of the streets on which their huts are built has to be balanced against the adverse effect on the welfare and prosperity of large sections of the Colony's population which would result if the resettlement of fire victims were given priority over the resettlement of squatters occupying the sites required for new schemes to provide housing, schooling, welfare facilities or employment.
So far as roof-top squatters are concerned the present policy is that they should not be given resettlement, the reason being that there are still about 300,000 ordinary squatters to be cleared, the majority of whom are occupying the sites required for the new schemes I have just mentioned.
MR. LI YIU BOR :-There can be little objection to referring a matter to a Select Committee but those of us who are conversant with the problems of Clearance and Resettlement know that the mere putting forward of resolutions, however commendable they appear on paper, will not help unless they represent a practical proposition.
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
which, if left where they are, completely prevents the general housing development of the Colony, and in the case of roof-top squatters and street sleepers are a direct menace to our public health. We are resettling them not because they are a privileged class but because their clearance is a vital necessity to the well- being of the community as a whole, and that common sense and humanity show we cannot clear them unless we are prepared to resettle them. But let me make it clear that it is our duty to ensure that hand in hand with resettlement goes an extensive re-housing programme for the community as a whole under the auspices of the Housing Authority.
MR. P. C. Woo seconded.
He said: I entirely concur with what the proposer has just said to the effect that roof-top squatters have become a menace to public health in general. This is so serious a problem that the Council must reconsider its whole policy in respect to roof-top squatting. Furthermore, most of the houses in Hong Kong that were built before the War have wooden staircases, no fire escapes and in cases of fire occurring in the buildings the persons who suffer most will be the roof-top squatters as was shown in the case of the Canton Road houses. We cannot just sit back and allow further fires and loss of life to occur as occurred there the other day.
Another consideration that affects us in moving this Motion to-day is that Government has taken action to register roof-top squatters but has not yet resettled them and there is always the possibility of more squatters occupying the roof-tops. Even between the period when the Council carried out a preliminary survey of roof-top squatters and when a final survey was carried out by the Resettlement Department, the number had risen in a couple of weeks by well over 40% as much again. Although the total number of squatters that have now been resettled is well over the 210,000 mark, nevertheless most of them are former fire victims and in our view, the time has now come when we must consider also the fire victims in the streets and the potential fire victims that are squatting on the roofs.
I therefore agree with the proposer that it is now time for a reconsideration of our Council's policy and I am happy to second this Motion.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
267
CHAIRMAN :—The official view is that this motion is contrary to the present policy being pursued by the Resettlement and Clearance Policy Select Committee, and that therefore it should be considered in the first instance by that Select Committee. For this reason I now move under Standing Order 10(18) (i) that the subject of debate be referred to the Resettlement and Clearance Policy Select Committee.
THE COMMISSIOMER FOR RESETTLEMENT seconded.
He said: I beg to second that motion and in doing so would like to take the opportunity of saying a few words about the present policy on these matters. So far as squatter fire victims are concerned the policy is not to allow squatter fires to disrupt the programme for the clearance of sites urgently required for important projects such as low-cost housing schemes, schools, welfare centres, factories and important P.W.D. projects for new drainage schemes, new roads and new water works. This does not mean that squatter fire victims are not being resettled at all, as is shown by the fact that during 1956 no less than 14,000 squatter fire victims on the streets were given resettlement. It means that the inconvenience which squatter fire victims cause to the residents of the streets on which their huts are built has to be balanced against the adverse effect on the welfare and prosperity of large sections of the Colony's population which would result if the resettlement of fire victims were given priority over the resettlement of squatters occupying the sites required for new schemes to provide housing, schooling, welfare facilities or employment.
So far as roof-top squatters are concerned the present policy is that they should not be given resettlement, the reason being that there are still about 300,000 ordinary squatters to be cleared, the majority of whom are occupying the sites required for the new schemes I have just mentioned.
MR. LI YIU BOR :-There can be little objection to referring a matter to a Select Committee but those of us who are conversant with the problems of Clearance and Resettlement know that the mere putting forward of resolutions, however commendable they appear on paper, will not help unless they represent a practical proposition.
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