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officer could not provide such a service as effectively as the Information Services Department comprising a number of officers with special training and skills.
Whether or not a special officer could achieve more for the Council than the Information Services Department would clearly need careful consideration. He could not, for one thing, expect to call upon that Department for more than the services already provided, which, in my opinion, are already good.
The question has been referred to the Colonial Secretary who no doubt will ask for full details in considering the matter. I suggest therefore that it should also be referred to the Standing Committee of the Whole Council for full consideration there.
MR. SALES: Thank you for your reply, Sir, I am agreeable to the suggestion which you have put.
DR. BELL:—Mr. Chairman, could I ask a supplementary on that question? Would it not be possible, if we had a Public Relations Officer who handles public relations, to deal directly with the press rather than through the Information Services? Is it necessary to go through the Information Services?
CHAIRMAN:-Not in the absolute sense that is quoted. I have always found the present system has worked extremely well. The Information Services have given us the utmost co-operation and assistance. In my experience with this Council, which now runs over a fair number of years, I have never felt that I need make any complaint about their services.
DR. BELL:-I wonder how it works from the other aspect of it- the press aspect of getting information?
CHAIRMAN:-Again I can say I have never had any complaints on that score.
I say that in spite of the puzzlement on your face, I have not heard any complaints on that score. (Laughter).
(9) DR. P. F. Woo asked the following question:--
Residents of the Wing Wah Mansion, 425G-K, Queen's Road West, have complained to my Ward that the flats on the first and second floors of this building are used as a storing place for plastic material belonging to a plastic factory on the ground floor of the building. This factory not
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only stores plastic materials inside the flats but also in the passage way along the corridor of the building. Would the Chairman:—
(a) inquire whether Urban Services Department staff have made any report about this during their routine inspection of this building;
(b) inquire from the Fire Services Department whether this would create a fire hazard; and
(c) inquire from the Labour Department whether this plastic factory has obtained permission to store such material in flats normally used for residential purposes?
I would like to remind the Chairman that on 25th October, 1965 a fire occurred in a plastic factory very near the Wing Wah Mansion. Because this factory was sited on the ground floor of a 15-storey building, the residents of the building had to escape for life from the roof during the incident.
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:-
In regard to the first part of the question, house inspection of the building was last carried out by district health inspectors in March last year. In addition monthly visits were paid by the staff. No obvious fire hazards were encountered during these visits, and consequently no special reports have been made on this count.
In regard to the second part of the question, I understand from the Director of Fire Services that continuous action has been taken by his Department to abate fire hazards in this building since July 1963, and on the last inspection carried out on 16th December, 1965, minor obstructions were found on the landings of the main stairway at second and third floor levels in Blocks J and K. These were removed by the persons responsible at the time of the inspection on the advice of the inspecting officers. The Director of Fire Services further states that the plastics used in the plastic factory in this building are not classified within the meaning of the Dangerous Goods (Classification) Regulations, 1964 and, therefore, do not constitute a fire hazard.
As regards the third part of the question, the Commissioner of Labour has advised that there are two factories occupying space in this building. These are the Ming Shing Plastic Factory, which occupies the rear of the ground floor and
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officer could not provide such a service as effectively as the Information Services Department comprising a number of officers with special training and skills.
Whether or not a special officer could achieve more for the Council than the Information Services Department would clearly need careful consideration. He could not, for one thing, expect to call upon that Department for more than the services already provided, which, in my opinion, are already good.
The question has been referred to the Colonial Secretary who no doubt will ask for full details in considering the matter. I suggest therefore that it should also be referred to the Standing Committee of the Whole Council for full con- sideration there.
MR. SALES: Thank you for your reply, Sir, I am agreeable to the suggestion which you have put.
DR. BELL:—Mr. Chairman, could I ask a supplementary on that question? Would it not be possible, if we had a Public Relations Officer who handles public relations, to deal directly with the press rather than through the Information Services? Is it necessary to go through the Information Services?
CHAIRMAN:-Not in the absolute sense that is quoted. I have always found the present system has worked extremely well. The Information Services have given us the utmost co-operation and assist- ance. In my experience with this Council, which now runs over a fair number of years, I have never felt that I need make any complaint about their services.
DR. BELL:-I wonder how it works from the other aspect of it- the press aspect of getting information?
CHAIRMAN:-Again I can say I have never had any complaints on that score.
I say that in spite of the puzzlement on your face, I have not heard any complaints on that score. (Laughter).
(9) DR. P. F. Woo asked the following question:--
Residents of the Wing Wah Mansion, 425G-K, Queen's Road West, have complained to my Ward that the flats on the first and second floors of this building are used as a storing place for plastic material belonging to a plastic factory on the ground floor of the building. This factory not
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
573
only stores plastic materials inside the flats but also in the passage way along the corridor of the building. Would the Chairman:—
(a) inquire whether Urban Services Department staff have made any report about this during their routine inspection of this building;
(b) inquire from the Fire Services Department whether
this would create a fire hazard; and
(c) inquire from the Labour Department whether this plastic factory has obtained permission to store such material in flats normally used for residential pur- poses?
I would like to remind the Chairman that on 25th October, 1965 a fire occurred in a plastic factory very near the Wing Wah Mansion. Because this factory was sited on the ground floor of a 15-storey building, the residents of the building had to escape for life from the roof during the incident.
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:-
In regard to the first part of the question, house inspection of the building was last carried out by district health inspectors in March last year. In addition monthly visits were paid by the staff. No obvious fire hazards were encountered during these visits, and consequently no special reports have been made on this count.
In regard to the second part of the question, I understand from the Director of Fire Services that continuous action has been taken by his Department to abate fire hazards in this building since July 1963, and on the last inspection carried out on 16th December, 1965, minor obstructions were found on the landings of the main stairway at second and third floor levels in Blocks J and K. These were removed by the persons responsible at the time of the inspection on the advice of the inspecting officers. The Director of Fire Services further states that the plastics used in the plastic factory in this building are not classified within the meaning of the Dangerous Goods (Classification) Regulations, 1964 and, therefore, do not constitute a fire hazard.
As regards the third part of the question, the Commissioner of Labour has advised that there are two factories occupying space in this building. These are the Ming Shing Plastic Factory, which occupies the rear of the ground floor and
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.