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into the sea. Some of this floated into the harbour. Since then, extra labour has been employed at the dump to reduce the drifting away of refuse to a minimum and the Director of Marine has kindly made available additional sampans and a motor catamaran at Gin Drinker's Bay to assist in this matter.
Construction of berths alongside one of the bunds, to facilitate the off-loading of rubbish from refuse barges over the bund into the dump, is now in hand and these berths will be completed in a few weeks. It will then be possible to seal off the dump from the sea completely. The Director of Public Works has already arranged for the construction of a new bund, some 2,000 feet long, which, when completed, should achieve this purpose. Work on this new bund started some weeks ago and a length of over 500 feet has now been constructed. The completion date is dependent to some extent on the weather, but it is hoped that with reasonably dry weather the work should be finished by the end of September.
DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question:
In view of the shortage of scavenging vans, what action is taken to reduce the number of breakdowns of these vehicles which are frequently seen on their delivery route to Gin Drinker's Bay refuse dump, and in this way to improve the refuse collecting service provided for Kowloon, a subject of complaint for refuse baskets being accumulated unduly long at the collection points?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:
Breakdowns will always occur where vehicles are worked intensively and under the conditions that exist at the refuse dump. Records show the number of breakdowns in Urban Services Department vehicles as not being abnormal. However, the position is sometimes aggravated by the fact that servicing and minor repairs to vehicles are frequently delayed in order to maintain an adequate number of vehicles on the road to provide the daily refuse collection service. Many of these become due for routine servicing and inspection but cannot be taken off the road until they are relieved by other vehicles returned from the workshop after servicing and repair. A vicious circle develops whereby the longer a vehicle is overdue for inspection and servicing, the more the work and therefore the time required when it is eventually sent to the workshop, before it is repaired and ready in turn, to relieve other vehicles overdue for servicing.
DR. LEE:
for inspection and servicing, the more the work and therefore the time required when it is eventually sent to the workshop, before it is repaired and ready in turn, to relieve other vehicles overdue for servicing. While this points to vehicle shortages the position could be eased by the servicing and repair of refuse collection vehicles in the evenings when relatively few are required on the road. This possibility is now being considered by my friend, the Director of Public Works.
Mr. Chairman, cannot the work of servicing and repair be done in the evenings starting from now?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: -Mr. Chairman, it comes down again to the question of staff. We do hope to have a night shift working so that we can get things like refuse vehicles, ambulances, fire engines serviced during the night when they are not used. If this is done it will increase the availability of these vehicles. The workshops are at present working almost as long hours of overtime as they possibly can. What is required now in my opinion is the introduction of a night shift.
DR. LEE:-The solution would, of course, be a night shift?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: --Yes.
DR. LEE:--I think this is pretty common throughout the world where a variety of vehicles are used. Mr. Chairman, as a supplementary, may I know when will the new vehicles ordered for these jobs be delivered in the Colony?
CHAIRMAN:-Sir, in the light of your question I made some enquiries about the delivery dates for vehicles. I understand that it might take anything up to 15 months for a vehicle to arrive in the Colony from the time the order is placed. We are looking into this question in the Department now, because it seems evident that there is a growing and pressing need for more vehicles.
DR. LEE:-Mr. Chairman, do you realize that some 10 new vehicles have been ordered about a year ago? They should have arrived by now?
CHAIRMAN: ---I will have to look into your point, Sir.
DR. LEE:-Mr. Chairman, would you be good enough to do that?
DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question:-
Has the question of disrupting a person's livelihood been considered an important factor in the allocation of resettlement? Does not the Chairman agree that there is a
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into the sea. Some of this floated into the harbour. Since then, extra labour has been employed at the dump to reduce the drifting away of refuse to a minimum and the Director of Marine has kindly made available additional sampans and a motor catamaran at Gin Drinker's Bay to assist in this matter.
Construction of berths alongside one of the bunds, to facilitate the off-loading of rubbish from refuse barges over the bund into the dump, is now in hand and these berths will be completed in a few weeks. It will then be possible to seal off the dump from the sea completely. The Director of Public Works has already arranged for the construction of a new bund, some 2,000 feet long, which, when completed, should achieve this purpose. Work on this new bund started some weeks ago and a length of over 500 feet has now been constructed. The completion date is dependent to some extent on the weather, but it is hoped that with reasonably dry weather the work should be finished by the end of September.
DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question:
In view of the shortage of scavenging vans, what action is taken to reduce the number of breakdowns of these vehi- cles which are frequently seen on their delivery route to Gin Drinker's Bay refuse dump, and in this way to improve the refuse collecting service provided for Kow- loon, a subject of complaint for refuse baskets being accumulated unduly long at the collection points?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:
Breakdowns will always occur where vehicles are worked in- tensively and under the conditions that exist at the refuse dump. Records show the number of breakdowns in Urban Services Department vehicles as not being abnormal. However, the position is sometimes aggravated by the fact that servicing and minor repairs to vehicles are frequently delayed in order to maintain an adequate number of vehicles on the road to provide the daily refuse collection service. Many of these become due for routine servicing and inspection but cannot be taken off the road until they are relieved by other vehicles returned from the workshop after servicing and repair. A vicious circle develops whereby the longer a vehicle is overdue
DR. LEE:
for inspection and servicing, the more the work and therefore the time required when it is eventually sent to the workshop, before it is repaired and ready in turn, to relieve other vehicles overdue for servicing. While this points to vehicle shortages the position could be eased by the servicing and repair of refuse collection vehicles in the evenings when relatively few are required on the road. This possibility is now being considered by my friend, the Director of Public Works.
Mr. Chairman, cannot the work of servicing and repair be done in the evenings starting from now?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: -Mr. Chairman, it comes down again to the question of staff. We do hope to have a night shift working so that we can get things like refuse vehicles, ambulances, fire engines serviced during the night when they are not used. If this is done it will increase the availability of these vehicles. The workshops are at present working almost as long hours of overtime as they possibly can. What is required now in my opinion is the introduction of a night shift.
DR. LEE:-The solution would, of course, be a night shift?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: --Yes.
DR. LEE:--I think this is pretty common throughout the world where a variety of vehicles are used. Mr. Chairman, as a supplementary, may I know when will the new vehicles ordered for these jobs be delivered in the Colony?
CHAIRMAN:-Sir, in the light of your question I made some enqui- ries about the delivery dates for vehicles. I understand that it might take anything up to 15 months for a vehicle to arrive in the Colony from the time the order is placed. We are looking into this question in the Department now, because it seems evident that there is a growing and pressing need for more vehicles.
DR. LEE:-Mr. Chairman, do you realize that some 10 new vehicles have been ordered about a year ago? They should have arrived by now?
CHAIRMAN: ---I will have to look into your point, Sir.
DR. LEE:-Mr. Chairman, would you be good enough to do that?
DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question:-
Has the question of disrupting a person's livelihood been con- sidered an important factor in the allocation of resettle- ment? Does not the Chairman agree that there is a
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