1963 — Page 133

of 194

age-1

Page 133 of 194

248

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

It is gratifying to note that the Urban Amenities Select Committee has done some preliminary planning of an indoor stadium, and it is hoped that when completed, it will be an indoor stadium we can be proud of. The cost of the stadium may be on the high side, but as I said on a previous occasion, any capital expenditure for the benefit of our youths is an investment which will yield handsome dividends. May I say how pleased I am to see that the first indoor stadium will be built in Kowloon. (Laughter).

Resettlement is a major problem to-day, and is likely to remain so for some years. The relations between settlers and officers of the Re- settlement Department have on the whole been satisfactory, although one would wish to see more cordial relations between squatters and officers of the Clearance Section. In their dealings with squatters these latter officers should be patient, tactful and understanding, but firm. Their work is not always easy, and we must assist them in any way

we can.

I have been asked by the Directors of Caritas, Hong Kong, to express their gratitude to the Urban Services Department for the efficient manner in which they have cleared their bazaar sites in Hong Kong and Kowloon (Laughter), and I am very pleased indeed to be able to convey their sentiments to you, Sir, this afternoon.

With these remarks, Mr. Chairman, it gives me pleasure to support your motion. (Applause).

(At the suggestion of the Chairman, a brief recess was held at this point)

DR. P. F. Woo:-Mr. Chairman, my topic for today is on some urgent health problems which directly concern the general health of the population and require immediate attention.

I speak firstly on the seriousness of overcrowding in the post-war buildings. Overcrowding in pre-war premises as revealed in the Census Report is well-known, but the alarming degree of overcrowding in post- war buildings may escape the attention of many. Apart from the low economic standard of the local population, the chief cause of this overcrowding is the high rentals charged by unscrupulous landlords, so that the low income groups can only afford to share cubicles together. The many ill effects produced by overcrowding are too obvious to be discussed here, especially in Hong Kong now with its acute water shortage, yet the Government has not been able to take stronger actions for the control of rent increases. The new Director of Medical and Health Services, Dr. TENG, told us at a recent dinner held in his honour that 80% of the Hong Kong population require subsidized medical

Į

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

249

services. If the present serious overcrowding condition is allowed to continue, the budget for medical services will have to be increased. An interesting contrast with the overcrowded condition in Hong Kong is the United Kingdom in which the residential density seldom exceeds 800 per acre, and yet Parliament also begins to get concerned about overcrowdedness there, and a question was asked about it in the House of Commons a few weeks ago. How much more urgent is the problem of overcrowdedness in Hong Kong where the residential density of 10,000 per acre is not uncommon in the urban area! It is true that Government has gone one step towards the solution of this problem by the introduction of low-cost housing for people whose income is under $300, and the restriction of 35 sq. ft. living space per person in the low-cost flats is indeed commendable. But Government can only cater for 20,000 persons a year, whereas when applications were open to the public, the number of applications received was about 200,000. If we reckon that every applicant has a family of five, then there are a million people who have housing problems. At the rate of housing 20,000 people a year, the Government will not be able to house them all until after half a century! Any beneficial scheme put up by Government should benefit the majority and not the minority a drop in the bucket would not do much good at all. What the Government's excuse is for this slowness in solving the housing problem I don't understand. If it is a question of funds, then I would remind Govern- ment that in the last five years from 1958 to 1963, there is a total surplus of over 276 million dollars in the treasury which has not been assigned to any specific use. This fund could easily be used for the purpose of low-cost housing, which may be deemed a long-term investment for the Government. If it is a question of land, I have to remind Government again that in the same period of these five years an income of over 440 million dollars was obtained from the sale of land, and auctioning of land is still going on regularly in the City Hall. If the lots of land auctioned are not suitable for low-cost housing, then the money obtained from the sale of land should be used to buy or exchange for suitable land in the urban areas. This would not only make greater use of urban land, but also house more people. On the other hand, if Government decides to allow the condition of over- crowdedness to continue without providing more low-cost housing, then whatever money obtained from the sale of land will have to be spent on other social services, particularly medical services.

The next problem that affects health is the illegal structures put up in the yards of tenement buildings and, with few exceptions, in multi-storey buildings. If I may be pardoned, Sir, I would like to give you a picture of how ill health can be caused by these structures. Irresponsible people from the upper floors throw refuse and rubbish downstairs, which accumulate on the top of these structures and are