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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

MR. BERNACCHI :-Mr. Chairman, is the Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services aware that complaints as to fumes were raised in this Council of the same smoke nuisance in the years 1952-1953?

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:-I am certainly aware of that.

MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, is the Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services aware, when he says no nuisance is caused by the element of smoke, that many teachers say they simply cannot teach because of the fumes?

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES: -Mr. Chairman, this question concerns the Green Island Cement Company. At the same time, there are fumes from other works in the same area. No doubt one has to keep to the Green Island Cement Works in this instance. There are certainly sulphur dioxide fumes from the China Light & Power Company.

MRS. ELLIOTT:-Then the fumes are not from the Green Island Cement Works?

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:-No.

MRS. ELLIOTT:----Thank you.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN: Mr. Chairman, in the last sentence of the third paragraph of the Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services' reply, is that an indication that this chimney will be completed within the next few months? Is that what is meant by "shortly”?

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES: --I cannot give you the exact date of completion, Sir. It is being built now. I do not know how long it takes to build a chimney of this height.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-As a matter of interest to some Councillors, Mr. Chairman-I am sure that Mr. CHEUNG Wing-in and I would be interested in knowing--would the Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services be good enough to find out?

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES: -I certainly will, Sir.

(6) DR. P. F. Woo asked the following question:-

In the early part of March this year, the Resettlement Depart- ment carried out a clearance on the hillside at the back of the Tiger Balm Garden, during which about 400 huts were cleared. Some of these squatters were resettled in the Chai Wan Estate, and among them a few were given shop sites as well as domestic accommodation. Would the

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

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Commissioner for Resettlement explain why priority was given to these few squatters in allocating the shops when there is a long waiting list of over a thousand applicants, many of whom have waited for a shop-space for four or five years?

THE COMMISSIONER for RESETTLEMENT replied as follows:~~

The clearance referred to involved a total of 343 families who were living in 353 unlawful structures which were cleared on 17th March from a danger zone near the Mount Butler Quarry. About 2,000 persons in all were resettled and of these 15 qualified for resettlement shop premises in accordance with the approved policy.

Shop premises in resettlement estates are allocated, as a first priority, to those who have been operating shops of a certain minimum size in tolerated huts which have to be It is cleared to permit development, or for other reasons. essential that an adequate supply of shop premises must be available if the squatter clearance programme is not to come to a halt. Resettlement shop premises which are surplus to planned clearance requirements are then allo- cated, as a second priority, to those who were cultivators and pigbreeders now on the consolidated waiting list for shop premises. Members will be interested to know that during the past 12 months, 321 shop premises were allocat- ed to those who were at the top of this waiting list; about 1,150 persons remain on the list, those now at the top having been there for a little over 3 years.

DR. WOO:-May I ask a supplementary question? Could the Commissioner tell us what percentage do the 321 shops represent over the total new ones?

COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-Mr. Chairman, I am afraid I cannot answer that question without looking up the details and I will see that Dr. Woo is supplied with the information later.

DR. Woo:-In view of the long waiting list would the Commis- sioner reserve a certain percentage of shops for these people on the waiting list?

COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-The position in regard to those on the waiting list, Mr. Chairman, is clearly stated here. That any shops surplus to the requirements for squatters being cleared as a result of organized clearances will be allocated to those on the con- solidated waiting list.