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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Dr. Alison Bell dealt with the question of garages occupying the ground floors of residential blocks of flats. If the garages to which Dr. Bell referred are garages for parking residents' cars, the solution to the problem is not an easy one. It is our policy to insist, wherever possible, on any new building having adequate car parking space within the property boundary. If the Doctor's comments, however, referred to repair garages, this is another matter. We are aware that there have been certain abuses and I should be grateful to Dr. Bell if she would refer any specific case she has in mind to the Urban Services Department with a copy to the Public Works Department.
Members touched upon some other matters to which I could reply but it is understood, sir, that you intend to cover these in your address.
THE VICE CHAIRMAN: --I should like to refer briefly to several points which were raised in speeches by members.
Dr. Woo referred to Health Education and the need for an extension of activities in this direction. I have a great deal of sympathy with his plea, and expect that the Select Committee dealing with the matter will be only too glad to have concrete suggestions put before it. Two points, however, must always be kept in mind in planning activities of this nature; one is that health propaganda seldom brings quick results and that in consequence it is not always fair to judge a campaign by its short-term results; the other point is that it is only too easy to produce indigestion by giving too much medicine. Having said this, however, I should like to add that Dr. Woo's plea will be kept very much in mind. On one point I should like to reassure him. He suggested the setting-up of an interdepartmental committee on Health Education. Even previous to his suggestion steps had already been taken in this direction and the whole matter is now under active consideration by the departments concerned.
Mr. Fung Ping Fan spoke on the regrettable prevalence of the disgusting habit of throwing refuse from upper floors and pleaded for action against offenders. I think every member of this Council is with him on this point, but unfortunately the identification of particular offenders is far from easy, even when, as is seldom the case, the offence is actually witnessed by a police officer or a member of the Urban Services Department. There may be 50 occupants of the floor concerned and who is to say which one was the offender? I am sure the Chairman would welcome any practical suggestions to overcome this difficulty, the more so as this method of refuse disposal causes not merely a sanitary nuisance-it may actually be dangerous to people standing below.
Mr. Fung also referred to a deterioration in the standard of cleanliness of the city's streets. I am not prepared to agree with him on this point but even if I did so, I would still have to emphasize that
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the main reason why streets are not as clean as they might be is that there is in Hong Kong a most deplorable lack of civic conscience in the matter of disposal of litter. The Department is aware of streets which are swept as often as eight times a day, yet each succeeding sweeping produces the same amount of litter. We cannot keep our streets clean if the public insists on depositing rubbish on them on the present scale, and we have the paradox of a demand from the public for the expenditure of more public money on a service which could be reduced, not expanded, if only the same public would recognize their own responsibility in the matter. Dr. Bell was probably right when she suggested that we were "holding our own" against a tide of ignorance of environmental hygiene and civic responsibility. matter of interest no less than 1,840 warnings, 191 summons and 177 arrests indicate the action taken, in the last year, against the dumping of rubbish. Dr. Lee said that our aim should be to wash our streets at least once a week. I agree with him, and this is what we normally achieve using all of our twelve vehicles. Unfortunately we have no reserve, and so cannot regard the position as altogether satisfactory.
As a
I sympathize with Col. Clague in his reflections on the abattoir. We are indeed pressing on and unjustifiable delay will be avoided, but we do not want to be too hasty where details are concerned lest the end result be needless expense.
Dr. Bell felt that a higher standard of cleanliness in restaurant kitchens was essential. Having visited a fair number of these places during the past few weeks I certainly agree with her and I shall be glad to have the matter ventilated in the appropriate sub-committee. On one point, however, I would like to remove a possible misconception. The inspection of licensed premises is not the duty of the Food Inspection Unit, as one member suggested, but that of the licensing side of the inspectorate. Members are probably aware that all licensed restaurants are inspected fortnightly.
Mr. R. C. Lee referred to the nuisance of air-conditioners which drip onto pavements. Action has been taken and will continue to be taken against offenders, but I would appeal to owners of such machines to check whether such nuisance is caused by their machines, and to those firms which service air-conditioners to include this check in their servicing. Another point raised by Mr. Lee was that children who are admitted free to cinemas upset the calculations on which the air-requirements are based. I am informed that the air-conditioning Select Committee will shortly have before it legislation concerning the air-conditioning of theatres, and this point might well be brought up for discussion. Another approach might be for cinemas to cease giving free admission to children. Such a change in policy might also be an indirect contribution to public health in that children would get to their beds in proper time!
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Dr. Alison Bell dealt with the question of garages occupying the ground floors of residential blocks of flats. If the garages to which Dr. Bell referred are garages for parking residents' cars, the solution to the problem is not an easy one. It is our policy to insist, wherever possible, on any new building having adequate car parking space within the property boundary. If the Doctor's comments, however, referred to repair garages, this is another matter. We are aware that there have been certain abuses and I should be grateful to Dr. Bell if she would refer any specific case she has in mind to the Urban Services Department with a copy to the Public Works Department.
Members touched upon some other matters to which I could reply but it is understood, sir, that you intend to cover these in your address.
THE VICE CHAIRMAN: --I should like to refer briefly to several points which were raised in speeches by members.
Dr. Woo referred to Health Education and the need for an exten- sion of activities in this direction. I have a great deal of sympathy with his plea, and expect that the Select Committee dealing with the matter will be only too glad to have concrete suggestions put before it. Two points, however, must always be kept in mind in planning activities of this nature; one is that health propaganda seldom brings quick results and that in consequence it is not always fair to judge a campaign by its short-term results; the other point is that it is only too easy to produce indigestion by giving too much medicine. Having said this, however, I should like to add that Dr. Woo's plea will be kept very much in mind. On one point I should like to reassure him. He suggested the setting-up of an interdepartmental committee on Health Education. Even previous to his suggestion steps had already been taken in this direction and the whole matter is now under active consideration by the departments concerned.
Mr. Fung Ping Fan spoke on the regrettable prevalence of the disgusting habit of throwing refuse from upper floors and pleaded for action against offenders. I think every member of this Council is with him on this point, but unfortunately the identification of particular offenders is far from easy, even when, as is seldom the case, the offence is actually witnessed by a police officer or a member of the Urban Services Department. There may be 50 occupants of the floor con- cerned and who is to say which one was the offender? I am sure the Chairman would welcome any practical suggestions to overcome this difficulty, the more so as this method of refuse disposal causes not merely a sanitary nuisance-it may actually be dangerous to people standing below.
Mr. Fung also referred to a deterioration in the standard of cleanliness of the city's streets. I am not prepared to agree with him on this point but even if I did so, I would still have to emphasize that
і
і
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
65
the main reason why streets are not as clean as they might be is that there is in Hong Kong a most deplorable lack of civic conscience in the matter of disposal of litter. The Department is aware of streets which are swept as often as eight times a day, yet each succeeding sweeping produces the same amount of litter. We cannot keep our streets clean if the public insists on depositing rubbish on them on the present scale, and we have the paradox of a demand from the public for the expenditure of more public money on a service which could be reduced, not expanded, if only the same public would recognize their own responsibility in the matter. Dr. Bell was probably right when she suggested that we were "holding our own" against a tide of ignorance of environmental hygiene and civic responsibility. matter of interest no less than 1,840 warnings, 191 summons and 177 arrests indicate the action taken, in the last year, against the dumping of rubbish. Dr. Lee said that our aim should be to wash our streets at least once a week. I agree with him, and this is what we normally achieve using all of our twelve vehicles. Unfortunately we have no reserve, and so cannot regard the position as altogether satisfactory.
As a
I sympathize with Col. Clague in his reflections on the abattoir. We are indeed pressing on and unjustifiable delay will be avoided, but we do not want to be too hasty where details are concerned lest the end result be needless expense.
Dr. Bell felt that a higher standard of cleanliness in restaurant kitchens was essential. Having visited a fair number of these places during the past few weeks I certainly agree with her and I shall be glad to have the matter ventilated in the appropriate sub-committee. On one point, however, I would like to remove a possible misconcep- tion. The inspection of licensed premises is not the duty of the Food Inspection Unit, as one member suggested, but that of the licensing side of the inspectorate. Members are probably aware that all licensed restaurants are inspected fortnightly.
Mr. R. C. Lee referred to the nuisance of air-conditioners which drip onto pavements. Action has been taken and will continue to be taken against offenders, but I would appeal to owners of such machines to check whether such nuisance is caused by their machines, and to those firms which service air-conditioners to include this check in their servicing. Another point raised by Mr. Lee was that children who are admitted free to cinemas upset the calculations on which the air- requirements are based. I am informed that the air-conditioning Select Committee will shortly have before it legislation concerning the air- conditioning of theatres, and this point might well be brought up for discussion. Another approach might be for cinemas to cease giving free admission to children. Such a change in policy might also be an indirect contribution to public health in that children would get to their beds in proper time!
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