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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Justifiable complaints of a smoke and soot nuisance emanating from nearby chimneys and particularly that of 108 Fa Yuen Street were first made to the Urban Services Department by a tenant of No. 112 in April 1965. Following this, the management of the factory at 108 Fa Yuen Street was advised about regular cleansing of the chimney, the fitting of a spark and soot arrestor and the use of better quality coal.
This advice was followed and since then regular visits have been made to the factory premises and the roof; in June 1965 the height of the chimney was raised from 10 feet to 28 feet, bringing it approximately level with the roof of No. 112, a spark arrestor was added and a good quality coal (Hong Gay) was used. No actual smoke nuisance has been observed since June 1965.
As regards the second part of the question, in December 196 ... 1965 the factory management, after consultation with a contractor, added a further 5 feet to the chimney height and fitted a new H-shaped spark arrestor; I am informed that, at a special visit made at my request last week by the Industrial Health Officer, only light-coloured, soot-free smoke was coming from the chimney.
As to the last part of the question, inquiries indicate that legislation is unlikely to be passed in the near future which would enable this Council to insist upon the use of smokeless fuels in certain areas of the city.
DR. BELL:- Mr. Chairman, I have a number of supplementary questions, quite short ones. The first one is, why is this factory functioning if it is not yet licensed by this Council?
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:- Mr. Chairman, I must admit this rather puzzled me. It has been prosecuted three times for operating without a licence already. I can give you the dates of the prosecutions and the results.
DR. BELL: Surely, Mr. Chairman, we have some means of having a place closed down by court order if it continues to carry on business without a licence?
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:- I think, Mr. Chairman, normally when there have been three successful prosecutions on food premises, the matter is referred to the Food and Food Premises Select Committee, or delegated to a member of that Committee, and action is taken accordingly. I have not yet been able to find out what has happened in this particular case.
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CHAIRMAN:- Perhaps on the general question, the Chairman of the Food and Food Premises Select Committee could answer this?
MR. FUNG: I cannot remember this having been referred to the Food and Food Premises Select Committee.
DR. BELL:- Mr. Chairman, my second supplementary is, would you please state when this factory moved to this particular location? I know the answer. (Laughter). At least you told me yourself, Sir, it was, I think, March, 1965. I ask this question, because the houses around there, the owners of the houses, bought their flats some years ago when they were first built. They bought them before this restaurant came there, and before this chimney was stuck in the midst of the group of four houses, not above the level of most of them. I visited this place. The windows were shut. I will ask your permission, Mr. Chairman, to give a brief resumé about this. The windows were shut in the flat that I visited, and I opened them and I remained there for ten minutes, after which I rubbed my fingers along the window sill and they were completely black, as black as the suit I am wearing today. I do not consider that this is insignificant. The complainants who came to see me, a group of them, were almost in tears. They had paid for these flats and are now unable to open their windows in the summer owing to this chimney being there. They find even the food they eat, if it is on the table for five minutes, gets covered with soot. I would like to know, Mr. Chairman, who is responsible for laying down the conditions regarding this chimney, the height it is to be built, the distance above the surrounding houses, and who gives permission for a chimney to be allowed in this residential area.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:- Mr. Chairman, as Dr. BELL knows, I am quite sure chimneys are not forbidden anywhere. I do not think they are controlled, it is accepted as part of the general building. This particular chimney is very ramshackle, made of tin on a brick base. It is now 33 feet in height. I do not think it could be extended any further in its present form, but as I did mention earlier, Mr. Chairman, I am pursuing this matter of why the place is allowed to operate at all as a factory, following three prosecutions.
DR. BELL: Mr. Chairman, I am sorry, that doesn't answer my question. Who lays down the conditions regarding the type of chimney which is to be built? Is it the Fire Services, is it this Council or the Labour Office, or is it nobody?
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:- I must confess, Mr. Chairman, I am unable to say who lays down the conditions for chimneys.
Page 333 of 382
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Page 333 of 382
644
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Justifiable complaints of a smoke and soot nuisance emanat- ing from nearby chimneys and particularly that of 108 Fa Yuen Street were first made to the Urban Services Department by a tenant of No. 112 in April 1965. Following this, the management of the factory at 108 Fa Yuen Street was advised about regular cleansing of the chimney, the fitting of a spark and soot arrestor and the use of better quality coal.
This advice was followed and since then regular visits have been made to the factory premises and the roof; in June 1965 the height of the chimney was raised from 10 feet to 28 feet, bringing it approximately level with the roof of No. 112, a spark arrestor was added and a good quality coal (Hong Gay) was used. No actual smoke nuisance has been observed since June 1965.
As regards the second part of the question, in December 1965 the factory management, after consultation with a con- tractor, added a further 5 feet to the chimney height and fitted a new H shaped spark arrestor; I am informed that, at a special visit made at my request last week by the Industrial Health Officer, only light coloured, soot free smoke was coming from the chimney.
As to the last part of the question, inquiries indicate that legislation is unlikely to be passed in the near future which would enable this Council to insist upon the use of smokeless fuels in certain areas of the city.
DR. BELL:-Mr. Chairman, I have a number of supplementary questions, quite short ones. The first one is, why is this factory func- tioning if it is not yet licensed by this Council?
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:-Mr. Chairman, I must admit this rather puzzled me.
It has been prose- cuted three times for operating without a licence already. I can give you the dates of the prosecutions and the results.
DR. BELL: Surely, Mr. Chairman, we have some means of having a place closed down by court order if it continues to carry on business without a licence?
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:-I think, Mr. Chairman, normally when there have been three successful prose- cutions on food premises, the matter is referred to the Food and Food Premises Select Committee, or delegated to a member of that Com- mittee, and action is taken accordingly. I have not yet been able to find out what has happened in this particular case.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
645
CHAIRMAN: -Perhaps on the general question, the Chairman of the Food and Food Premises Select Committee could answer this?
MR. FUNG: I cannot remember this having been referred to the Food and Food Premises Select Committee.
DR. BELL:-Mr. Chairman, my second supplementary is, would you please state when this factory moved to this particular location? I know the answer. (Laughter). At least you told me yourself, Sir, it was, I think, March, 1965. I ask this question, because the houses around there, the owners of the houses, bought their flats some years ago when they were first built. They bought them before this restau- rant came there, and before this chimney was stuck in the midst of the group of four houses, not above the level of most of them. I visited this place. The windows were shut. I will ask your permis- sion, Mr. Chairman, to give a brief resumé about this. The windows were shut in the flat that I visited, and I opened them and I remained there for ten minutes, after which I rubbed my fingers along the win- dow sill and they were completely black, as black as the suit I am wearing today. I do not consider that this is insignificant. The com- plainants who came to see me, a group of them, were almost in tears. They had paid for these flats and are now unable to open their windows in the summer owing to this chimney being there. They find even the food they eat, if it is on the table for five minutes, gets covered with soot. I would like to know, Mr. Chairman, who is responsible for lay- ing down the conditions regarding this chimney, the height it is to be built, the distance above the surrounding houses, and who gives permis- sion for a chimney to be allowed in this residential area.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES: -Mr. Chairman, as Dr. BELL knows, I am quite sure chimneys are not for- bidden anywhere. I do not think they are controlled, it is accepted as part of the general building. This particular chimney is very ram- shackle, made of tin on a brick base. It is now 33 feet in height. I do not think it could be extended any further in its present form, but as I did mention earlier, Mr. Chairman, I am pursuing this matter of why the place is allowed to operate at all as a factory, following three prosecutions.
DR. BELL: Mr. Chairman, I am sorry, that doesn't answer my question. Who lays down the conditions regarding the type of chimney which is to be built? Is it the Fire Services, is it this Council or the Labour Office, or is it nobody?
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES: -I must confess, Mr. Chairman, I am unable to say who lays down the condi- tions for chimneys.
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