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clean. If this warning is not sufficiently effective, I shall be glad to take stronger measures, either departmentally or by reference to the appropriate Select Committee."
DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question :-
(i) "Has the Chairman received further information relating to sites reserved for private funeral parlours in Kowloon ?"
(ii) "If he has, will the Chairman make a statement with particular reference to its location and the time when it will be auctioned? If he has not, will he make suitable representation to the appropriate department of Government as to the long delay it has taken in allocating these sites, and to press strongly for its early availability to meet the pressing needs of the Kowloon residents ?"
THE CHAIRMAN tabled the following written reply:-
"Yes Sir.
I am now informed that action is in hand to clear the original Tai Kok Tsui site of the former permittees, and it is hoped that at least one lot will be put to public auction in about four months time."
DR. LEE-May I ask a supplementary question, Mr. Chairman ?
CHAIRMAN:-Yes.
DR. LEE :-I would like to ask a supplementary question to my Question No. 9. I notice in your reply that there will be a lot put up for auction in four months' time, but the Cemetery and Mortuary Select Committee recommended to Government that there should be three sites. I wonder if the Chairman could inform this Council when these other two sites will be available.
CHAIRMAN :-I am afraid I cannot. All I can say is one lot will definitely be put up for auction in about four months' time. The Public Works Department are unable to give any definite assurance about the other two. The question of the clearance of these permittees is being actively pursued.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
DR. LEE :-May I ask a further supplementary question? If the site at Tai Kok Tsui is unavailable for some time will the Chairman ask the Director of Public Works whether another site in Kowloon may be more suitable?
CHAIRMAN :-Yes, I am prepared to look into that.
MOTIONS.
MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN moved :-
"That in view of the fact that at the present rate of resettlement it will take at least eight years to complete the resettlement programme, this Council invites the attention of Government to the importance of taking special measures to accelerate the rate of construction of resettlement buildings."
He said Mr. Chairman, it is just 3 years since the disastrous Christmas night fire at Shek Kip Mei which made 53,000 persons homeless in the space of a few hours. This major conflagration led Government to review its policy towards squatters and to make the momentous decision to use public funds to build multi-storey resettlement buildings to house our squatter population.
Mainly as a result of the Shek Kip Mei fire, the Department of Resettlement was created in April, 1954 to be responsible for all matters connected with squatter clearance and resettlement, a responsibility which had previously been divided between the Urban Services Department, the Public Works Department and the Social Welfare Office. In addition to the 30,000 persons resettled before its creation, the Resettlement Department itself has also resettled approximately 180,000 persons. This is an imposing figure by any standard!
We have now arrived at a peculiar state of affairs on the one hand, the Resettlement Department has grown into an organization capable of resettling squatters at the rate of 80,000 persons a year; on the other hand, we are told the Public Works Department will not be able to provide multi-storey accommodation for more than about 40,000 persons in 1957. At this rate, it will take at least another eight years before the remaining 300,000 squatters can be resettled. Out of this figure of 300,000,
Page 45 of 115
72
73
11
1,
Page 44 of 115
72
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
clean. If this warning is not sufficiently effective, I shall be glad to take stronger measures, either departmentally or by reference to the appropriate Select Committee."
DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question :-
(i) "Has the Chairman received further information re- lating to sites reserved for private funeral parlours in Kowloon ?"
(ii) "If he has, will the Chairman make a statement with particular reference to its location and the time when it will be auctioned? If he has not, will he make suitable representation to the appro- priate department of Government as to the long delay it has taken in allocating these sites, and to press strongly for its early availability to meet the pressing needs of the Kowloon residents ?"
THE CHAIRMAN tabled the following written reply:-
"Yes Sir.
I am now informed that action is in hand to clear the original Tai Kok Tsui site of the former per- mittees, and it is hoped that at least one lot will be put to public auction in about four months time."
DR. LEE-May I ask a supplementary question, Mr. Chairman ?
CHAIRMAN:-Yes.
DR. LEE :-I would like to ask a supplementary question to my Question No. 9. I notice in your reply that there will be a lot put up for auction in four months' time, but the Cemetery and Mortuary Select Committee recommended to Government that there should be three sites. I wonder if the Chairman could inform this Council when these other two sites will be available.
CHAIRMAN :-I am afraid I cannot. All I can say is one lot will definitely be put up for auction in about four months' time. The Public Works Department are unable to give any definite assurance about the other two. The question of the clearance of these permittees is being actively pursued.
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73
DR. LEE :-May I ask a further supplementary question? If the site at Tai Kok Tsui is unavailable for some time will the Chairman ask the Director of Public Works whether another site in Kowloon may be more suitable?
CHAIRMAN :-Yes, I am prepared to look into that.
MOTIONS.
MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN moved :-
"That in view of the fact that at the present rate of resettlement it will take at least eight years to com- plete the resettlement programme, this Council invites the attention of Government to the importance of taking special measures to accelerate the rate of construction of resettlement buildings.”
He said Mr. Chairman, it is just 3 years since the disastrous Christmas night fire at Shek Kip Mei which made 53,000 persons homeless in the space of a few hours. This major conflagration led Government to review its policy towards squat- ters and to make the momentous decision to use public funds to build multi-storey resettlement buildings to house our squatter population.
Mainly as a result of the Shek Kip Mei fire, the Department of Resettlement was created in April, 1954 to be responsible for all matters connected with squatter clearance and resettlement, a responsibility which had previously been divided between the Urban Services Department, the Public Works Department and the Social Welfare Office. In addition to the 30,000 persons re- settled before its creation, the Resettlement Department itself has also resettled approximately 180,000 persons. This is an imposing figure by any standard!
We have now arrived at a peculiar state of affairs on the one hand, the Resettlement Department has grown into an organization capable of resettling squatters at the rate of 80,000 persons a year; on the other hand, we are told the Public Works Department will not be able to provide multi-storey accommoda- tion for more than about 40,000 persons in 1957. At this rate, it will take at least another eight years before the remaining 300,000 squatters can be resettled. Out of this figure of 300,000,
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