Page 256 of 312
486
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Last year, on this occasion, I spoke about the effects of piling and other building works on adjoining buildings, and in September 1964 the Buildings (Amendment) (No. 2) Ordinance was passed. This Ordinance empowers the Building Authority to refuse to give approval to plans or consent to start work if he considers that such work might endanger adjoining property.
In the 8 months before the introduction of this new legislation the Buildings Ordinance Office had to stop work on 73 sites because of danger to adjacent properties. During the same period 114 buildings had to be closed as a result of demolition, piling or excavation works in the vicinity. Following on the enactment of the new legislation work on some 300 sites is being held up, but I hope that subject to certain elementary but essential precautions being taken by developers, their architects and contractors, it will be possible to allow work to commence on many of these sites. It is not easy to strike a balance between the need for redevelopment of the older areas of Hong Kong and Kowloon and the safety of the people who live in these areas. Officers of the Buildings Ordinance Office are no less human or sympathetic than Members of this Council and a decision to close a building is not taken lightly. Indeed, such a decision is only taken where there is good reason to suppose that the lives of the occupants are in danger.
Mr. Chairman, the contacts between the Public Works Department and this Council are many and close, and I hope that we will continue to work together for the common good.
Sir, I beg to support the motion.
MR. WATSON-Mr. Chairman, I rise on a point of clarification. The Honourable Director of Public Works mentioned Electric Road as a continuation of the Waterfront Road. Does this mean that Electric Road is to be improved to provide a wide, through road in place of the narrow one-way street shown to us recently in the plans on the North Point district?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: Mr. Chairman, it will not be possible to widen Electric Road. It is very largely for this reason that we have got the flyover system and we intend to extend Tin Hau Temple Road to Chai Wan Road.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES: -Mr. Chairman, may I start by saying that, having examined the public health matters raised by the Unofficial Members in their speeches two weeks ago I find with pleasure, and relief, that there has been much to agree with and little to differ from. (Laughter).
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
487
It is easy to catalogue things not done and things that should be done but I sometimes think that there is a lack of realization of what is accomplished quietly and constantly by this Council and the Urban Services Department in maintaining standards of public health and hygiene in all its aspects.
Few activities of the Council demand more intensive and continuous work than the control of those factors in the physical environment of Hong Kong which may exercise a deleterious effect on the people's health, safety and social well-being. In individual illness the patient needs treatment; in community ill health it is often the environment that has to be treated.
The rate of improvement in environmental sanitation and hygiene is unfortunately apt to lag far behind the rate of population growth; we already have a backlog of accumulated deficiencies to contend with and the needs of the future are enormous.
Mr. CHEUNG Wing-in mentioned population control and though his suggestions might be thought to conflict with the well-known statement that "people are Hong Kong's most priceless asset", I must call attention to the evils of too rapid urbanization which encroaches on and pollutes available land, water and air and, by a general degradation of the physical and social environment, poses multiple threats to health from overcrowding, building congestion and the creation of slums, inadequate waste disposal, noise, accidents and communicable disease. Our city millions indeed place a staggering burden on those responsible for public health.
Mr. FUNG Hon-chu referred to the illegal service of meals on premises licensed only as food factories. This matter was raised at a Council meeting in November 1962. It transpired then that out of 56 food factories, 8 were conducting illegal business. During the current year, 7 out of the present total of 50 licensed food factories were found to be operating illegally in this way. Four of these 7 have applied successfully for their premises to be licensed as restaurants, while the remainder have been kept under careful observation following prosecution. Should there be any more food factories operating in this manner I would be glad to have knowledge of them so that investigation may follow. I can assure Members that major offences such as this are not considered by the health staff to be trivial, but the inspectors have many other duties to perform and it is possible for unscrupulous persons to evade the law when the majority of staff are off duty and have returned to their homes.
I also agree that where there is a multiplicity of by-laws and regulations, it is impossible to enforce them all unless a large force of what might be termed "sanitary police" is maintained, but our aim
Page 257 of 312
Page 256 of 312
486
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Last year, on this occasion, I spoke about the effects of piling and other building works on adjoining buildings, and in September 1964 the Buildings (Amendment) (No. 2) Ordinance was passed. This Ordinance empowers the Building Authority to refuse to give approval to plans or consent to start work if he considers that such work might endanger adjoining property.
In the 8 months before the introduction of this new legislation the Buildings Ordinance Office had to stop work on 73 sites because of danger to adjacent properties. During the same period 114 buildings had to be closed as a result of demolition, piling or excavation works in the vicinity. Following on the enactment of the new legislation work on some 300 sites is being held up, but I hope that subject to certain elementary but essential precautions being taken by developers, their architects and contractors, it will be possible to allow work to commence on many of these sites. It is not easy to strike a balance between the need for redevelopment of the older areas of Hong Kong and Kowloon and the safety of the people who live in these areas. Officers of the Buildings Ordinance Office are no less human or sympathetic than Members of this Council and a decision to close a building is not taken lightly. Indeed, such a decision is only taken where there is good reason to suppose that the lives of the occupants are in danger.
Mr. Chairman, the contacts between the Public Works Department and this Council are many and close, and I hope that we will continue to work together for the common good.
Sir, I beg to support the motion.
MR. WATSON-Mr. Chairman, I rise on a point of clarification. The Honourable Director of Public Works mentioned Electric Road as a continuation of the Waterfront Road. Does this mean that Electric Road is to be improved to provide a wide, through road in place of the narrow one-way street shown to us recently in the plans on the North Point district?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: Mr. Chairman, it will not be possible to widen Electric Road. It is very largely for this reason that we have got the flyover system and we intend to extend Tin Hau Temple Road to Chai Wan Road.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES: -Mr. Chairman, may I start by saying that, having examined the public health matters raised by the Unofficial Members in their speeches two weeks ago I find with pleasure, and relief, that there has been much to agree with and little to differ from. (Laughter).
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
487
It is easy to catalogue things not done and things that should be done but I sometimes think that there is a lack of realization of what is accomplished quietly and constantly by this Council and the Urban Services Department in maintaining standards of public health and hygiene in all its aspects.
Few activities of the Council demand more intensive and continuous work than the control of those factors in the physical environment of Hong Kong which may exercise a deleterious effect on the people's health, safety and social well-being. In individual illness the patient needs treatment; in community ill health it is often the environment that has to be treated.
The rate of improvement in environmental sanitation and hygiene is unfortunately apt to lag far behind the rate of population growth; we already have a backlog of accumulated deficiencies to contend with and the needs of the future are enormous.
Mr. CHEUNG Wing-in mentioned population control and though his suggestions might be thought to conflict with the well-known statement that "people are Hong Kong's most priceless asset", I must call atten- tion to the evils of too rapid urbanization which encroaches on and pollutes available land, water and air and, by a general degradation of the physical and social environment, poses multiple threats to health from overcrowding, building congestion and the creation of slums, inadequate waste disposal, noise, accidents and communicable disease. Our city millions indeed place a staggering burden on those responsible for public health.
Mr. FUNG Hon-chu referred to the illegal service of meals on premises licensed only as food factories. This matter was raised at a Council meeting in November 1962. It transpired then that out of 56 food factories, 8 were conducting illegal business. During the current year, 7 out of the present total of 50 licensed food factories were found to be operating illegally in this way. Four of these 7 have applied successfully for their premises to be licensed as restaurants, while the remainder have been kept under careful observation following prosecu- tion. Should there be any more food factories operating in this manner I would be glad to have knowledge of them so that investigation may follow. I can assure Members that major offences such as this are not considered by the health staff to be trivial, but the inspectors have many other duties to perform and it is possible for unscrupulous persons to evade the law when the majority of staff are off duty and have returned to their homes.
I also agree that where there is a multiplicity of by-laws and regulations, it is impossible to enforce them all unless a large force of what might be termed "sanitary police" is maintained, but our aim
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