HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Kowloon, the hawkers were scurrying about with their stalls which have now been put on wheels. In fact this development causes a greater obstruction than before when they were put on fixed pitches. So if both the Chairman of the Urban Council and the Chairman of the Hawkers Select Committee are unaware of this development may I suggest that this matter be taken up by the Select Committee at its next meeting?
MR. BERNACCHI: In answer to Mr. SALES' supplementary that I now gather the import of, I can say indeed that when I was last in Kowloon I also noticed pedlar hawkers—I hope licensed pedlar hawkers—scurrying about on wheels, and it was a development that was perhaps half assented to by the Police. But the Police and the Hawkers Select Committee together are examining the question further and the wheels as at present, perhaps illegally adopted by the hawkers, are such that they enable them to carry their wares from street to street, whereas the wheels as suggested to the Hawkers Select Committee are merely to push the wares over to the other side of the street to enable street cleaning to be done. The problem is in a period of flux, but I hope that an outcome can be reached in the near future and that it will be suitable to all concerned, including Mr. SALES and his fears as to obstructions generally.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, I wish to thank the Chairman of the Hawkers Select Committee for his very comprehensive reply which satisfies me and I hope it has disabused any fleeting doubts that Mr. CHEONG-LEEN had about the mobility of hawkers as well.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: Mr. Chairman, I have seen a model of the barrow that Mr. BERNACCHI has mentioned and in clarification may I ask Mr. SALES, through you, whether he would like to see it, since he is the Chairman of the Urban Amenities Select Committee, to see if it would beautify the streets of Kowloon?
MR. SALES: Is that a serious question, Mr. Chairman?
CHAIRMAN: It was on a point of explanation, Sir.
MR. SALES: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. May I ask a supplementary question in respect of your answer to the third part of the original question? Could we Members of the Urban Council who are not Members of the Hawkers Select Committee be given an undertaking that should there be a change of policy as to the allocation of pitches to hawkers, which might involve encroaching upon areas which are now prohibited to hawkers, the matter would be referred to the Standing Committee of the Whole Council?
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. BERNACCHI: Mr. Chairman, as Chairman of the Hawkers Select Committee, I unhesitatingly give that undertaking.
MR. SALES: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
MRS. E. ELLIOTT asked the following question:
(a) Would the Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services state whether noise, and lack of sleep because of noise, is considered to be detrimental to physical and mental health?
(b) Would the Council consider setting up a Working Party or an Ad-hoc Committee to investigate this question of noise, keeping in mind the matter as it concerns public health?
THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES replied as follows:
I agree that if a person's sleep is continuously disturbed by noise his health must suffer. Furthermore, constant irritation by noise can provoke mental and psychological disorder.
However, the susceptibility of individuals to noise varies greatly. While the crashing of Mah Jong tiles may drive neighbouring listeners to distraction, the players themselves generally carry on happily.
To make an excessive amount of noise between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. is an offence under the Summary Offences Ordinance and the remedy in such cases is to report the matter to the Police who will and do take action against offenders.
A certain amount of noise is, unfortunately, an inevitable result of life in a crowded modern city, but I have no doubt that a great deal is in fact an unnecessary disturbance.
Members may be interested to learn that in the report of the Ministry of Health for 1962 attention is drawn to this problem and I quote:
"Another problem, that of noise, is only now receiving serious attention. Opinions may differ on the extent to which noise may cause harm to man but there will be no argument about the fact that
Page 175 of 194
332
Page 176 of 194
333
of 194
Page 175 of 194
332
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Kowloon, the hawkers were scurrying about with their stalls which have now been put on wheels. In fact this development causes a greater obstruction than before when they were put on fixed pitches. So if both the Chairman of the Urban Council and the Chairman of the Hawkers Select Committee are unaware of this development may I suggest that this matter be taken up by the Select Committee at its next meeting?
MR. BERNACCHI : In answer to Mr. SALES' supplementary that I now gather the import of, I can say indeed that when I was last in Kowloon I also noticed pedlar hawkers-I hope licensed pedlar hawkers --scurrying about on wheels, and it was a development that was perhaps half assented to by the Police. But the Police and the Hawkers Select Committee together are examining the question further and the wheels as at present, perhaps illegally adopted by the hawkers, are such that they enable them to carry their wares from street to street, whereas the wheels as suggested to the Hawkers Select Committee are merely to push the wares over to the other side of the street to enable street cleaning to be done. The problem is in a period of flux, but I hope that an outcome can be reached in the near future and that it will be suitable to all concerned, including Mr. SALES and his fears as to obstructions generally.
MR. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, I wish to thank the Chairman of the Hawkers Select Committee for his very comprehensive reply which satisfies me and I hope it has disabused any fleeting doubts that Mr. CHEONG-LEEN had about the mobility of hawkers as well.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, I have seen a model of the barrow that Mr. BERNACCHI has mentioned and in clarification may I ask Mr. SALES, through you, whether he would like to see it, since he is the Chairman of the Urban Amenities Select Committee, to see if it would beautify the streets of Kowloon?
MR. SALES: Is that a serious question, Mr. Chairman?
CHAIRMAN:-It was on a point of explanation, Sir.
MR. SALES-Thank you, Mr. Chairman. May I ask a supple- mentary question in respect of your answer to the third part of the original question? Could we Members of the Urban Council who are not Members of the Hawkers Select Committee be given an undertaking that should there be a change of policy as to the allocation of pitches to hawkers, which might involve encroaching upon areas which are now prohibited to hawkers, the matter would be referred to the Standing Committee of the Whole Council?
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
333
MR. BERNACCHI :-Mr. Chairman, as Chairman of the Hawkers Select Committee, I unhesitatingly give that undertaking.
MR. SALES--Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
MRS. E. ELLIOTT asked the following question: ----
(a) Would the Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services state whether noise, and lack of sleep because of noise, is considered to be detrimental to physical and mental health?
(b) Would the Council consider setting up a Working Party or an Ad-hoc Committee to investigate this question of noise, keeping in mind the matter as it concerns public health?
THE DEPUTY Director of MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES replied as follows:
I agree that if a person's sleep is continuously disturbed by noise his health must suffer. Furthermore, constant irrita- tion by noise can provoke mental and psychological disorder.
However, the susceptibility of individuals to noise varies greatly. While the crashing of Mah Jong tiles may drive neighbouring listeners to distraction, the players them- selves generally carry on happily.
To make an excessive amount of noise between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. is an offence under the Summary Offences Ordinance and the remedy in such cases is to report the matter to the Police who will and do take action against offenders.
A certain amount of noise is, unfortunately an inevitable result of life in a crowded modern city, but I have no doubt that a great deal is in fact an unnecessary disturbance.
Members may be interested to learn that in the report of the Ministry of Health for 1962 attention is drawn to this problem and I quote:
"Another problem, that of noise, is only now receiving serious attention. Opinions may differ on the extent to which noise may cause harm to man but there will be no argument about the fact that
Page 175Page 176
of 194
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.