1964 — Page 156

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MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, may I ask the Commissioner what was the final date to pay the rent to go to Tsz Wan Shan and why had only 66 families out of 101 paid the rent by 30th September?

COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-The demolition day for the structures is 14th October, so they have still got over a week in which to make up their minds. I am informed that some of the now 25 families, who have not yet paid the rent, have informed my staff that they are quite prepared to do so, and the only reason why they have not done so yet is that Mrs. ELLIOTT has not yet communicated to them the answer which I sent to her on 28th September.

MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, may I remind the Commissioner that the final date was 22nd September, according to notices that I saw from his Department and I would like to ask why those families did not pay the rent on the 22nd?

COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-Apart from the answer which I have already given, I am afraid I am not in a position to enlarge. Of course, we always accept rent up to demolition day. They may have been advised to pay by the 22nd. The demolition day is now 14th October.

MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, may I ask the Commissioner if he realizes that these people did not want to pay the rent because they did not want to go to Tsz Wan Shan?

COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I appreciate that, Mr. Chairman. As I have already said, my information is that they naturally prefer to go to Chai Wan, but they are now willing to go to Tsz Wan Shan.

MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, I do not know whether this question will be allowed, but may I invite all the Councillors to take a journey from Tsz Wan Shan to Wan Chai and then apply the golden rule? Mr. Chairman, may I ask another question of the Commissioner? Can he tell me how many children there are in Tsz Wan Shan and how many places there are in schools?

COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I could not give an answer to that question now, but I will be glad to supply the information later. There will not be, at this stage, school places in the Tsz Wan Shan Estate proper, but there are, I know, a number of vacancies in the neighbouring Estates.

MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, may I inform the Council that I have inquired myself and I found 105 places in Kwun Tong schools altogether.

MR. BERNACCHI:-Mr. Chairman, on a point of order, may I draw your attention to the fact that there are 3 members of the public standing. Can they not be found seats?

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CHAIRMAN:-From this chair I can see 7 members of the public standing, Sir. (Laughter).

MR. BERNACCHI:-The other 4 were beyond my view. (Laughter).

(The Deputy Secretary, Urban Council attended to the matter).

MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, may I ask the Director of Public Works, through you, if it would not be possible for Government to appropriate land on the Hong Kong side for the resettlement of people who live in Hong Kong?

DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:-By "appropriate" is it meant to resume for a public purpose? I presume that it is possible, but I do not know whether it is a practical proposition is a different matter. know where you could resume such land. If you did resume this land it would create a greater problem than you are trying to solve, because you have a tremendous number of people living in the buildings you have got to resume. What will you do in the meantime? You will put them out in the streets? But this is what we are trying to avoid. The answer is: new resettlement estates in new areas.

MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, I may not be very practical, but may I make three suggestions: Naval dockyard land; private playing field land; and absentee landlords' land.

(15) MRS. E. ELLIOTT asked the following question:

(a) What action has been taken in the past month to remove the illegal shade that covers the whole yard of 68 Flower Market Road?

(b) Have any effective measures been taken to prevent the use of the scavenging lane of Flower Market Road from being used as storage space by bottle and scrap metal collectors?

THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:

In reply to the first part of the question, a letter was sent to the principal tenant of the ground floor premises on 21st August, asking that the shade be removed. But as it has since become the Council's policy to permit shades in yards which do not cover more than half the yard area, the occupiers were so informed and the shade in question was reduced accordingly. At the present time the shade does not cover more than two-fifths of the area of the yard.

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