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DR. LEE:--May I ask a supplementary, Mr. Chairman? then, when was action taken. Was it before my question was sent to the Secretary, or after?
CHAIRMAN:--I can assure you, Sir, after. (Laughter).
DR. LEE:--I want to thank you, Sir, for your frankness.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:--Mr. Chairman, why couldn't it have been before?
MRS. ELLIOTT:--Mr. Chairman, paragraph one says the lane is swept twice daily. I wonder why it had such a large quantity of refuse?
CHAIRMAN: Mrs. ELLIOTT, with respect, I will have to look into your question.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: You haven't answered my question.
DR. LEE:--I don't think you need to look into it, Mr. Chairman, I will reply as Chairman of the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee.
If Mrs. ELLIOTT would pay a visit to the lane, she will realize that the answer is that the people who live there do not co-operate.
(2) DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question:
What is the accumulated experience of the Urban Services Department in its use of the mechanical brush sweeper? When will the suction type of sweeper arrive in Hong Kong? Have any steps been taken to order more mechanical sweepers? What other mechanical apparatus has the Department in mind to modernize local method of road sweeping and cleansing?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:
In answer to the first part of the question, a report on the performance of the "Wayne" Mechanical Sweeper, which has been operating in Kowloon for the past three months, has already been made to the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee of which you, Sir, Dr. LEE, are Chairman. I do not intend to recount here the detailed information which was given in that report beyond saying that experience has shown that the introduction of mechanized sweeping has been justified by the results. The machine is effective and is helping to raise standards of cleansing. Some saving in labour can be achieved, although preliminary costings do not indicate that there will be any material savings in costs at present wage levels. The department views the extension of mechanization with cautious optimism, bearing in mind the severe limitations, at least during the day-time, caused by traffic flow and parking in the densely-populated areas.
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In answer to the second part of the question, no delivery date has yet been given for the suction sweeper, but the latest information is that the vehicle is being assembled and should be ready for shipping later this month.
In answer to the third part of the question, provisional approval has been given to include funds in the estimates for the purchase of two additional large mechanical sweepers as well as two smaller machines. I am not certain that an entirely satisfactory machine has yet been developed for pavement sweeping and this matter is being given further study.
In answer to the last part of the question, consideration is being given to the possibility of using a pedestrian operated electrically powered trolley to carry bins for the collection of refuse through selected hawker areas, where a beat sweeper with a handcart is overwhelmed by the quantities of refuse. The possibility of using gully cleansers for cleaning the drain gullies in the town is also being considered.
DR. LEE:--Referring to your answer, Mr. Chairman, I presume that the Department will proceed with more mechanization of cleaning with our mechanical sweepers. May I know how many people or cleaners each machine will replace?
CHAIRMAN:--Sir, the Assistant Director Cleansing informs me that he is not very sure on this point. The principle is that we feel that it is becoming more and more difficult to obtain cleansing staff in the Department. Therefore it becomes more and more imperative to mechanize the cleansing services in Hong Kong. If I may say so, Sir, the much-maligned Financial Department of the Secretariat has given us every encouragement to proceed with the mechanization of our cleansing services, and I am quite sure—I certainly hope so—in a few years we will have, as far as possible, a fully mechanized fleet of vehicles.
DR. LEE:--I wonder whether the Department would be good enough to go into this question when the other mechanical sweeper is brought to the Colony, and let me know how many personnel it can replace in a sweeping operation?
CHAIRMAN:--A report will certainly be made, Sir, to the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee, of which you are the Chairman.
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Since
DR. LEE:--May I ask a supplementary, Mr. Chairman? then, when was action taken. Was it before my question was sent to the Secretary, or after?
CHAIRMAN:-I can assure you, Sir, after. (Laughter).
DR. LEE:-I want to thank you, Sir, for your frankness.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, why couldn't it have been before?
MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, paragraph one says the lane is swept twice daily. I wonder why it had such a large quantity of refuse?
CHAIRMAN: Mrs. ELLIOTT, with respect, I will have to look into your question.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN: You haven't answered my question.
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DR. LEE:-I don't think you need to look into it, Mr. Chairman, I will reply as Chairman of the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee.
If Mrs. ELLIOTT would pay a visit to the lane, she will realize that the answer is that the people who live there do not co-operate.
(2) DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question:·
What is the accumulated experience of the Urban Services Department in its use of the mechanical brush sweeper? When will the suction type of sweeper arrive in Hong Kong? Have any steps been taken to order more mechanical sweepers? What other mechanical apparatus has the Department in mind to modernize local method of road sweeping and cleansing?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:
In answer to the first part of the question, a report on the per- formance of the "Wayne" Mechanical Sweeper, which has been operating in Kowloon for the past three months, has already been made to the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee of which you, Sir, Dr. LEE, are Chairman. I do not intend to recount here the detailed information which was given in that report beyond saying that ex- perience has shown that the introduction of mechanized sweeping has been justified by the results. The machine is effective and is helping to raise standards of cleansing. Some saving in labour can be achieved, although pre-
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
681
liminary costings do not indicate that there will be any material savings in costs at present wage levels. The department views the extension of mechanization with cautious optimism, bearing in mind the severe limitations, at least during the day-time, caused by traffic flow and parking in the densely-populated areas.
In answer to the second part of the question, no delivery date has yet been given for the suction sweeper, but the latest information is that the vehicle is being assembled and should be ready for shipping later this month.
In answer to the third part of the question, provisional approval has been given to include funds in the estimates for the purchase of two additional large mechanical sweepers as well as two smaller machines. I am not certain that an entirely satisfactory machine has yet been developed for pavement sweeping and this matter is being given further study.
In answer to the last part of the question, consideration is being given to the possibility of using a pedestrian operated electrically powered trolley to carry bins for the collection of refuse through selected hawker areas, where a beat sweeper with a handcart is overwhelmed by the quantities of refuse. The possibility of using gully cleansers for cleaning the drain gullies in the town is also being considered.
DR. LEE-Referring to your answer, Mr. Chairman, I presume that the Department will proceed with more mechanization of cleaning with our mechanical sweepers. May I know how many people or cleaners each machine will replace?
CHAIRMAN:-Sir, the Assistant Director Cleansing informs me that he is not very sure on this point. The principle is that we feel that it is becoming more and more difficult to obtain cleansing staff in the Department. Therefore it becomes more and more imperative to mechanize the cleansing services in Hong Kong. If I may say so, Sir, the much-maligned Financial Department of the Secretariat has given us every encouragement to proceed with the mechanization of our cleansing services, and I am quite sure-I certainly hope so--in a few years we will have, as far as possible, a fully mechanized fleet of vehicles.
DR. LEE-I wonder whether the Department would be good enough to go into this question when the other mechanical sweeper is brought to the Colony, and let me know how many personnel it can replace in a sweeping operation?
CHAIRMAN: --A report will certainly be made, Sir, to the Environ- mental Hygiene Select Committee, of which you are the Chairman.
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