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and more experienced colleagues, both on the appointed and the elected sides of the table. A great variety of subjects have been most ably and most adequately covered, and if I sound like a broken-down gramophone record, it only means that little more weight has been added to what has already been said. Some of the subjects I am going to speak about may or may not be within the purview of this Council, but nevertheless it is important to the development of our city and to the welfare of the people.
May I first of all touch on the subject of roads and transport. As far as I can see from the North Point Development Plan, there is no provision made for an East to West throughway for fast traffic. It appears that all traffic will still have to pass along King's Road which is already heavily congested. With the expected rapid increase of population in the area and the resulting increase in traffic, this road will become impossible, not to say impassable!
Again, there does not appear to be any overall plan for rapid transport for any future developments along the waterfront from North Point to West Point where large resettlement and housing projects are being planned, not to mention the very ambitious development scheme in Central District. I understand that a subway would be considered too expensive, but what about a monorail system or an elevated road? Surely in developments of this nature, communications should be considered of primary importance. Besides, a continuous waterfront road with lights, promenade and trees would enhance further the beauty of the harbour.
To continue about the beautification of our harbour and our city, I am sure we all agree that the tourist trade is fast becoming one of the greatest assets to the economy of the Colony, and we should do all in our power to "put our house in order" and make it attractive for the tens of thousands of visitors who are yearly turning Hong Kong into a mecca for sightseeing, shopping, etc.
However, before we can make our house beautiful, it is necessary to do some spring cleaning. The question of refuse disposal looms large on the horizon. At present refuse is dumped in Gin Drinkers Bay, and although the earth bund is to be closed to prevent it from floating back to foul the harbour and bathing beaches as it did during the summer, the problem of the sickening stench and the breeding of flies still remains. Very soon we shall have to change our name of "Hong Kong Fragrant Harbour" into something else.
There is an average daily accumulation of 1,400 tons of rubbish at the moment, and this is increasing. Plans for building incinerators are going ahead and by the end of 1965 the Kennedy Town Incinerator with a daily capacity of 1,000 tons will be completed and this will certainly ease the situation as far as Hong Kong Island is concerned. However since the building of incinerators is of extreme urgency, they should remain in Category A of the Public Works Programme. Their construction should not be delayed by any experimental plans for water purification or any other projects, at least not before the need in Kowloon is adequately met and the eyesore of Gin Drinkers Bay closed as soon as possible.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Many streets of the city have now become nothing but huge refuse dumps which constitute a health hazard by attracting flies and rats, besides being offensive and unsightly. The system of domestic refuse collection could be greatly improved by additional night shifts, coupled with increased manpower and an adequate supply of up-to-date vehicles. Our main problem at the moment is the shortage of workers and trucks. Wages for these workers have recently been increased and recruitment and the purchase of trucks should be regarded as an emergency measure. Yesterday's accident is a sad proof of many of our over-worked trucks which should be taken off the roads. Further similar tragedies can be avoided if refuse collection is done mostly at night. More highly mechanized methods of refuse collection and disposal would certainly be very ideal.
As far as making the Colony more beautiful is concerned, may I offer one or two suggestions? We have many species of beautiful flowering trees and shrubs in Hong Kong. Why not plant the hillsides along the more scenic routes with these flowers? Also when next a public garden is planned, why not consider an authentic Chinese garden? After all, 95% of the population in Hong Kong is Chinese, so why not create something typically Chinese among the skyscrapers? Our beaches are surely some of the most beautiful in the world, so why obscure them by unsightly buildings, tea houses, kiosks and car parks which should be on the other side of the road?
Resettlement in Hong Kong is going forward at a gratifying rate, but I do feel that when planning programmes for resettlement, there should be more co-ordination between the inter-related departments during the drawing-board stage in relation to schools, transport, market facilities, etc. More control should be exercised as regards unlicensed hawkers, cleaning, and activities within the resettlement blocks, etc., so as to prevent them from becoming further slum areas and breeding grounds for delinquents, triad societies, gambling and drug peddling centres.
I would like here to make a last-minute remark at this point about more Markets in support of my friend Mr. Wilfred WONG who has most eloquently covered the subject. As a housewife I am naturally interested and very much concerned about marketing facilities, in view of the changing conditions in the Colony affecting our way
440
441
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Page 232 of 312
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
and more experienced colleagues, both on the appointed and the elected sides of the table. A great variety of subjects have been most ably and most adequately covered, and if I sound like a broken-down gramophone record, it only means that little more weight has been added to what has already been said. Some of the subjects I am going to speak about may or may not be within the purview of this Council, but nevertheless it is important to the development of our city and to the welfare of the people.
May I first of all touch on the subject of roads and transport. As far as I can see from the North Point Development Plan, there is no provision made for an East to West throughway for fast traffic. It appears that all traffic will still have to pass along King's Road which is already heavily congested. With the expected rapid increase of population in the area and the resulting increase in traffic, this road will become impossible, not to say impassable!
Again, there does not appear to be any overall plan for rapid transport for any future developments along the waterfront from North Point to West Point where large resettlement and housing projects are being planned, not to mention the very ambitious development scheme in Central District. I understand that a subway would be considered too expensive, but what about a monorail system or an elevated road? Surely in developments of this nature, communications should be con- sidered of primary importance. Besides, a continuous waterfront road with lights, promenade and trees would enhance further the beauty of the harbour.
To continue about the beautification of our harbour and our city, I am sure we all agree that the tourist trade is fast becoming one of the greatest assets to the economy of the Colony, and we should do all in our power to "put our house in order" and make it attractive for the tens of thousands of visitors who are yearly turning Hong Kong into a mecca for sightseeing, shopping, etc.
However, before we can make our house beautiful, it is necessary to do some spring cleaning. The question of refuse disposal looms large on the horizon. At present refuse is dumped in Gin Drinkers Bay, and although the earth bund is to be closed to prevent it from floating back to foul the harbour and bathing beaches as it did during the summer, the problem of the sickening stench and the breeding of flies still remains. Very soon we shall have to change our name of "Hong Kong Fragrant Harbour" into something else.
There is an average daily accumulation of 1,400 tons of rubbish at the moment, and this is increasing. Plans for building incinerators are going ahead and by the end of 1965 the Kennedy Town Incinerator with a daily capacity of 1,000 tons will be completed and this will
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
441
certainly ease the situation as far as Hong Kong Island is concerned. However since the building of incinerators is of extreme urgency, they should remain in Category A of the Public Works Programme. Their construction should not be delayed by any experimental plans for water purification or any other projects, at least not before the need in Kowloon is adequately met and the eyesore of Gin Drinkers Bay closed as soon as possible.
Many streets of the city have now become nothing but huge refuse dumps which constitute a health hazard by attracting flies and rats, besides being offensive and unsightly. The system of domestic refuse collection could be greatly improved by additional night shifts, coupled with increased manpower and an adequate supply of up-to-date vehicles. Our main problem at the moment is the shortage of workers and trucks. Wages for these workers have recently been increased and recruitment and the purchase of trucks should be regarded as an emer- gency measure. Yesterday's accident is a sad proof of many of our over-worked trucks which should be taken off the roads. Further similar tragedies can be avoided if refuse collection is done mostly at night. More highly mechanized methods of refuse collection and dis- posal would certainly be very ideal.
As far as making the Colony more beautiful is concerned, may I offer one or two suggestions? We have many species of beautiful flowering trees and shrubs in Hong Kong. Why not plant the hillsides along the more scenic routes with these flowers? Also when next a public garden is planned, why not consider an authentic Chinese garden? After all, 95% of the population in Hong Kong is Chinese, so why not create something typically Chinese among the skyscrapers? Our beaches are surely some of the most beautiful in the world, so why obscure them by unsightly buildings, tea houses, kiosks and car parks which should be on the other side of the road?
Resettlement in Hong Kong is going forward at a gratifying rate, but I do feel that when planning programmes for resettlement, there should be more co-ordination between the inter-related departments during the drawing-board stage in relation to schools, transport, market facilities, etc. More control should be exercised as regards unlicensed hawkers, cleaning, and activities within the resettlement blocks, etc., so as to prevent them from becoming further slum areas and breeding grounds for delinquents, triad societies, gambling and drug peddling
centres.
I would like here to make a last-minute remark at this point about more Markets in support of my friend Mr. Wilfred WONG Who has most eloquently covered the subject. As a housewife I am naturally interested and very much concerned about marketing facilities, in view of the changing conditions in the Colony affecting our way
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