1961 — Page 106

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

CHAIRMAN:-It lies in an area, Sir, which I personally would like to see made more beautiful, as it is one of the first places which visitors see when they arrive in the Colony by air. But I really can add nothing to what I have already said.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN: May I ask a supplementary question, Mr. Chairman, on the Sung Wong Toi fountain? In your answer, Sir, you have stated that "this project was deleted from the 1962/63 Public Works Programme because of the shortage of architectural staff." In paragraph 2 of your reply, you then stated that it is proposed to take on additional staff in the Architectural Office and also to appoint private architects. That being the case, would you be good enough, Sir, to make representations to the effect that the Sung Wong Toi Rest Garden and also the fountain project be put back into the Public Works Programme?

CHAIRMAN:-I will raise the matter with Government.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-I would like to ask another supplementary, Mr. Chairman. I refer to paragraph 1(b) of your reply concerning the Oxford Road Playground. Was the view of the Public Works Sub-Committee of Finance Committee brought to the attention of the Urban Amenities Committee-the view as expressed in this particular paragraph?

CHAIRMAN:—I cannot recollect whether it was so referred. Perhaps the Chairman of the Urban Amenities Select Committee knows.

MR. SALES: I have no recollection of such action, Mr. Chairman.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-In that event, is it not a case where the Public Works Sub-Committee appears to know more about the priority needs of urban amenities than the proper Select Committee of this Council, which is the Urban Amenities Select Committee?

CHAIRMAN:-I can only say, Sir, that I do not know on what information the Public Works Sub-Committee reached its conclusions in this matter, but if the Urban Amenities Select Committee wish to make any further representations on the subject, I would be glad to forward them. They could be considered at the next meeting of the Public Works Sub-Committee.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-I am prepared to leave it, unless the Chairman wishes to follow up the matter. (Laughter).

MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, if no other member of the Select Committee concerned wishes to put questions to you, may I do so? First, may I ask that the following information be given to the Select Committee:

(a) the comparative costs of Victoria Park and Kowloon Tsai Park;

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(b) the time taken for the completion of Victoria Park and the time that has elapsed in carrying out the Kowloon Tsai project.

Is it not

Mr. Chairman, my next supplementary question is this: correct to say that the Select Committee concerned agreed to deferring certain aspects of Kowloon Tsai Park rather than cutting them out altogether?

CHAIRMAN:-I think that is correct.

MR. SALES:-Regarding Oxford Road Playground, may I ask, Mr. Chairman, whether the advice of the Director of Education was sought by the Public Works Sub-Committee of Finance Committee when they decided on their own, and in contradiction to what this Select Committee has set out, that the playground facilities at Oxford Road should not be considered at this time.

CHAIRMAN:-I can only repeat, Sir, what I said to Mr. CHEONG-LEEN, that I do not know on what information the Public Works Sub-Committee reached its conclusions in this matter.

MR. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, may I suggest that representations be made to the Public Works Sub-Committee that those of us who live in Kowloon are aware that there are many schools around the Oxford Road area and that that playground was designed to serve such schools as are without their own playing facilities.

CHAIRMAN: -My information, Sir, is that the playground was designed to cater for the needs of five schools in the immediate vicinity and that by the end of this year no less than 1,000 school children would wish to make use of the facilities. I repeat that I would be glad to forward any representations on this subject to the Public Works Sub-Committee.

MR. SALES: -May I thank you for these statistics, which I think are very compelling, and I hope that they will make the same impression on the Public Works Sub-Committee as they do on us, Mr. Chairman.

Now, may I have it minuted, before I complete my assignment, that the Urban Amenities Select Committee decided to ask these questions on 13th February and the deadline for questions set by the Urban Council was 26th February. So when the Financial Secretary made his statement on 28th February he was some two weeks behind the Select Committee concerned.

Thank you for the excellence of your replies, Mr. Chairman.

MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:

Will the Chairman please inquire from Government whether the working committee on the management and sanitation

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