HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
(b) If it is satisfactory, how long will it continue before a recommendation can be made to the Council for the scheme to be applied to the whole of the urban area?”
“If the scheme is adopted for the whole of the urban area, will there be any monetary savings as compared to the old method of removal? If so, how much?”
CHAIRMAN: - Would you mind, Dr. Lee, if I took your questions together, (4) and (5), as they both concern the Sherriff/Baker system of nightsoil collection?
“To begin with, there were a few complaints from the public about mechanical noise, but, with greater experience, the Urban Services Department crews have learnt how to reduce this and there have been no further complaints either on this point or on any other. No public mention has been made of the fact, but there is undoubtedly a considerable reduction in offensive smell from the tanker nightsoil barges which, being sealed, are a great improvement over the other barges holding buckets. Application of the new removal scheme to the whole of the urban area depends on two factors: firstly, provision of sufficient nightsoil collecting vehicles; and secondly, provision of tanker barges and an improved pumping system for emptying the barges into the maturation tanks at Tsuen Wan. A recommendation will shortly be made to Council for approval of Stage I of the scheme, that is, confirmation of the present arrangements covering Central District, and for Stage II - application of the scheme to the whole of the urban area - to be put into operation when the new nightsoil collecting vehicles arrive.
Apart from the initial capital cost of purchasing tanker lorries and converting existing barges into tanker barges, application of the scheme to the whole of the urban area will show a saving in recurrent expenditure of about $180,000 a year, in respect of staff, and also $85,000 a year in respect of various items of equipment which will no longer be needed.”
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
DR. LEE: I would like to put a supplementary question. What about the noise and smell during the actual collection, that is by the staff removing the buckets from the door entrances to the actual vehicle? Has that been diminished as compared with the old system?
CHAIRMAN: I cannot say exactly, Dr. Lee, whether it has been diminished but there have been no adverse complaints.
DR. LEE: I believe, Sir, you made a visit yourself at one stage. Was my question confirmed or disproved?
CHAIRMAN: I paid a visit in the middle of the night and watched the collection in Central District and my personal impressions were very favourable. There was little odour and comparatively little noise.
DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question:
“As it seems unlikely that there will be any person to bid for the second site which is so near to the first site for a private mortuary in Tai Kok Tsui, will the Chairman take steps to find another site in another part of Kowloon to attract private funeral home operators to serve the needs of Kowloon residents in this field?”
CHAIRMAN: This concerns funeral parlours.
“The policy of concentrating these funeral parlours in one area was decided at a meeting of the Cemeteries, Private Mortuaries, Exhumation and Crematoria Select Committee, of which you, Dr. Lee, were a member, at a meeting on the 5th of July, 1954. The reason for the decision was presumably to avoid having more than one area subjected to the inconvenience caused by the assembly of processions with the attendant bands, motor cars and funeral paraphernalia.
This decision has never been revoked and I regret, therefore, that I cannot agree to your proposal pending reference of the matter to the Select Committee.”
DR. LEE: I would like to ask a supplementary question. To correct your remark about the decision of the Select Committee of which I was a Member, I clearly remember that at that time we recommended more than one area. We also recommended more than two sites -
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(b) If it is satisfactory, how long will it continue before a recommendation can be made to the Council for the scheme to be applied to the whole of the urban area?”
"If the scheme is adopted for the whole of the urban area, will there be any monetary savings as compared to the old method of removal? If so, how much ?”
CHAIRMAN :-Would you mind, Dr. Lee if I took your ques- tions together, (4) and (5), as they both concern the Sherriff/Baker system of nightsoil collection ?
"To begin with, there were a few complaints from the public about mechanical noise, but, with greater experience, the Urban Services Department crews have learnt how to reduce this and there have been no further complaints either on this point or on any other. No public mention has been made of the fact, but there is undoubtedly a considerable reduction in offensive smell from the tanker nightsoil barges which, being sealed, are a great improvement over the other barges holding buckets. Application of the new removal scheme to the whole of the urban area depends on two factors: firstly pro- vision of sufficient nightsoil collecting vehicles; and secondly provision of tanker barges and an improved pumping system for emptying the barges into the maturation tanks at Tsuen Wan. A recommendation will shortly be made to Council for approval of Stage I of the scheme, that is, confirmation of the present arrangements covering Central District, and for Stage II-application of the scheme to the whole of the urban area-to be put into operation when the new nightsoil collecting vehicles arrive.
Apart from the initial capital cost of purchasing tanker lorries and converting existing barges into tanker barges, application of the scheme to the whole of the urban area will show a saving in recurrent expendi- ture of about $180,000 a year, in respect of staff, and also $85,000 a year in respect of various items of equipment which will no longer be needed."
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DR. LEE: I would like to put a supplementary question. What about the noise and smell during the actual collection, that is by the staff removing the buckets from the door entrances to the actual vehicle? Has that been diminished as compared with the old system?
CHAIRMAN: I cannot say exactly, Dr. Lee, whether it bas been diminished but there have been no adverse complaints.
DR. LEE-I believe, Sir, you made a visit yourself at one stage. Was my question confirmed or disproved?
CHAIRMAN:- -I paid a visit in the middle of the night and watched the collection in Central District and my personal im- pressions were very favourable. There was little odour and com- paratively little noise.
DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question :-
"As it seems unlikely that there will be any person to bid for the second site which is so near to the first site for a private mortuary in Tai Kok Tsui, will the Chair- man take steps to find another site in another part of Kowloon to attract private funeral home operators to serve the needs of Kowloon residents in this field?"
CHAIRMAN :--This concerns funeral parlours.
"The policy of concentrating these funeral parlours in one area was decided at a meeting of the Cemeteries, Private Mortuaries, Exhumation and Crematoria Select Committee, of which you, Dr. Lee, were a member, at a meeting on the 5th of July, 1954. The reason for the decision was presumably to avoid having more than one area subjected to the incon- venience caused by the assembly of processions with the attendant bands, motor cars and funeral para- phernalia.
This decision has never been revoked and I regret there- fore that I cannot agree to your proposal pending reference of the matter to the Select Committee.”
DR. LEE :- would like to ask a supplementary question. To correct your remark about the decision of the Select Committee of which I was a Member, I clearly remember that at that time we recommended more than one area. We also recommended more than two sites-
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