HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MINUTES.
The Minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on 8th January, 1957, were confirmed.
WELCOME TO NEW MEMBER.
CHAIRMAN :--Before we proceed with the formal business I am sure members will wish me to extend to Mr. John Forbes a hearty welcome on taking his seat here as an ex-officio member. (Applause).
MR. FORBES :-Mr. Chairman and Members, I thank you for your kind words of welcome.
PAPERS.
THE CHAIRMAN laid upon the table the following papers: (1) Report on the work of the Urban Council and Urban Services Department for the month of January, 1957.
(2) Urban Council and Urban Services Department Statistical Report for the period 1st October, 1956 to 31st December, 1956.
(3) Report by the Commissioner for Resettlement on the progress of clearance and resettlement operations during the period 1st October, 1956 to 31st December, 1956. (Distributed to Members and released for publication on 19th January, 1957).
(4) Analysis of the recommendations of the Estimates Select Committee on the staffing requirements of the Urban Services and Resettlement Departments for the financial year 1957/58.
He said: Amongst the papers is the annual Schedule of proposed staff increases and in conformity with the convention of this Council Members will be free to speak on any matter arising therefrom, but before we come to that I think Mr. P. C. Woo, who is Chairman of the Bathing Beaches and Swimming Pools Select Committee, has a short observation to make.
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221
MR. P. C. Woo:-Mr. Chairman, as Chairman of the Bathing Beaches and Swimming Pools Select Committee I would like to invite attention to paragraph 18 of your report for January, 1957, in which it is announced that the Jockey Club has granted the sum of $254,000 towards the cost of construction of the Victoria Park Swimming Pool. This is in addition to the sum of $1,300,000 originally donated, which was based on the estimated cost of construction at the time. When the contract was put out to tender the lowest tender received was for $1,554,000. The biggest single item contributory to the additional expense was, as might have been expected, the recent rise in the price of steel. The cost of the filtration plant is also substantially higher than had been envisaged. The additional now donated will enable the construction of the pool to proceed without the reduction in the scale of the plans which it might otherwise have been necessary to consider. Mr. Chairman, I am sure that I speak for all Members of this Council and indeed for the citizens of Hong Kong who will benefit thereby, when I say that this further prompt and generous contribution by the Jockey Club is very much appreciated. (Applause).
ANNUAL DEBATE ON THE ESTIMATES.
MR. KWOK CHAN:-Not being a member of the Estimates Select Committee I am not too familiar with all the details of the proposals for next year's Estimates. I am sure the Committee has gone into such details with its usual thoroughness and I do not intend to comment on these. But I have studied the schedule of proposed staff increases which is tabled today, and I have familiarized myself as far as possible with the intentions and proposals which have led to the need for these increases. I should like to speak in general terms of the outlook for next year, as I see it.
Of course, the staff increases embodied in the paper tabled, and the connected proposals embodied in the various sections of the Urban Services Department draft Estimates, are still only in draft and may, I suppose, be modified before the necessary funds are voted. But I dare say it is reasonable to assume that at all events most of the proposals which you, Sir, have put forward and which the Select Committee has endorsed, will in due course be approved. It is on this assumption that I offer a few very general remarks.
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220
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MINUTES.
The Minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on 8th January, 1957, were confirmed.
WELCOME TO NEW MEMBER.
CHAIRMAN :--Before we proceed with the formal business I am sure members will wish me to extend to Mr. John Forbes a hearty welcome on taking his seat here as an ex-officio member. (Applause).
MR. FORBES :-Mr. Chairman and Members, I thank you for your kind words of welcome.
PAPERS.
THE CHAIRMAN laid upon the table the following papers: (1) Report on the work of the Urban Council and Urban
Services Department for the month of January, 1957.
(2) Urban Council and Urban Services Department Statistical Report for the period 1st October, 1956 to 31st December, 1956.
(3) Report by the Commissioner for Resettlement on the progress of clearance and resettlement operations during the period 1st October, 1956 to 31st December, 1956. (Distributed to Members and released for publication on 19th January, 1957).
(4) Analysis of the recommendations of the Estimates Select Committee on the staffing requirements of the Urban Services and Resettlement Departments for the financial year 1957/58.
He said: Amongst the papers is the annual Schedule of proposed staff increases and in conformity with the convention of this Council Members will be free to speak on any matter arising therefrom, but before we come to that I think Mr. P. C. Woo, who is Chairman of the Bathing Beaches and Swimming Pools Select Committee, has a short observation to make.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
221
MR. P. C. Woo:-Mr. Chairman, as Chairman of the Bathing Beaches and Swimming Pools Select Committee I would like to invite attention to paragraph 18 of your report for January, 1957, in which it is announced that the Jockey Club has granted the sum of $254,000 towards the cost of construction of the Victoria Park Swimming Pool. This is in addition to the sum of $1,300,000 originally donated, which was based
on the estimated cost of construction at the time. When the contract was put out to tender the lowest tender received was for $1,554,000. The biggest single item contributory to the additional expense was, as might have been expected, the recent rise in the price of steel. The cost of the filtration plant is also substantially higher than had been envisaged. The additional now donated will enable the construction of the pool to proceed without the reduction in the scale of the plans which it might otherwise have been necessary to consider. Mr. Chairman, I am sure that I speak for all Members of this Council and indeed for the citizens of Hong Kong who will benefit thereby, when I say that this further prompt and generous contribution by the Jockey Club is very much appreciated. (Applause).
sum
ANNUAL DEBATE ON THE ESTIMATES.
MR. KWOK CHAN:-Not being a member of the Estimates Select Committee I am not too familiar with all the details of the proposals for next year's Estimates. I am sure the Committee has gone into such details with its usual thoroughness and I do not intend to comment on these. But I have studied the schedule of proposed staff increases which is tabled today, and I have familiarized myself as far as possible with the intentions and proposals which have led to the need for these increases. I should like to speak in general terms of the outlook for next year, as I see it.
Of course, the staff increases embodied in the paper tabled, and the connected proposals embodied in the various sections of the Urban Services Department draft Estimates, are still only in draft and
may, | suppose, be modified before the necessary funds are voted. But I dare say it is reasonable to assume that at all events most of the proposals which you, Sir, have put for- ward and which the Select Committee has endorsed, will in due course be approved. It is on this assumption that I offer a few very general remarks.
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