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CHAIRMAN: ----Mrs. ELLIOTT, you are introducing fresh matter, and if the Director of Public Works does not happen to have the information now, I cannot ask him to give it. He may give it if he knows.
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:-I think, Mr. Chairman, the answer is rather similar to the one given on the Roads and Drainage Office; that whenever there is rainfall we are ready to call contractors out, but we do not have gangs as such sitting by waiting for a call. We are, however, in a position to get gangs at work within a matter of a very few hours, and certainly the professional and technical staff of the Public Works Department do stand by in their homes during these periods of heavy rainfall. One other point, Mr. Chairman, Mrs. ELLIOTT has very generously said that the slopes at Tsz Wan Shan stood up to last night's rainfall, and that is so. But the danger period, I am afraid, will be to-morrow when the water has soaked into the slope. When I was there after the last rains it was gushing out about 15 to 20 feet down two or three days after the rain had occurred. This is the problem we are up against at this particular site.
MR. FORSGATE:-Mr. Chairman, may I ask a supplementary on Tsz Wan Shan? When Mrs. ELLIOTT and I visited the estate recently we noticed that the stability of those self-same slopes was being endangered by hordes of children playing on them, and we suggested that as there was vacant ground in the vicinity, that some of the vacant ground should be utilized for temporary playgrounds to give the youngsters somewhere to work off their energy and not interfere with the work in progress. Could I ask the Commissioner for Resettlement, through you, Sir, if any action has been taken on that suggestion?
CHAIRMAN:-Sir, I am compelled to give you the same answer as I have just given Mrs. ELLIOTT. You have introduced a great deal of fresh matter. If Mr. BARTY knows the answer he may give it.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I understand that the Urban Amenities Select Committee is going to use a site at Tsz Wan Shan for a temporary playground.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, on a point of clarification, since that answer was quite readily given by Mr. BARTY, and since any supplementary question that is raised by a member can be considered in a sense as new matter, wouldn't you agree then that this last supplementary was not new matter? (Laughter).
Mr. Chairman, with your permission, may I ask a supplementary from the Director of Public Works? In view of what he has said about the danger point being to-morrow night, and in view of the possibility of rains continuing during the coming weeks, wouldn't it be desirable and necessary to have special attention paid to the retaining walls in this resettlement estate?
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
13
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:-Mr. Chairman, I believe there are no retaining walls in this estate. (Laughter).
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, perhaps I didn't quite understand the reply. In paragraph 2 the Director of Public Works said: "that I can assure Mrs. ELLIOTT that every reasonable precaution is taken to ensure that the retaining walls and earthworks at the new resettlement estates are safe." In what respect was this answer given?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: --There are other resettlement estates besides Tsz Wan Shan at which we do have retaining walls. In reply to Mrs. ELLIOTT's question I was referring to the situation generally, and then in the last part of the reply, I dealt specifically with Tsz Wan Shan.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-I would assert Mr. Chairman, that in answering this question, the Director of Public Works introduced new matter.
CHAIRMAN: --Mr. CHEONG-LEEN, the Standing Order reads as follows:
"Any member may ask a supplementary question for the purpose of further elucidating any matter of fact regarding which an answer has been given, but a supplementary question must not be used to introduce matter not included in the original question."
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, with due respect I could not help but point that out since, in the first instance, the whole subject arose from the answer given by the Director of Public Works.
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: Could I read Mrs. ELLIOTT'S question, because I do not think Mr. CHEONG-LEEN has read it. It says:
"Now that the wet season is almost here, can any assurance be given that the retaining walls and earthworks in Tsz Wan Shan and other new resettlement estates are safe, and will adequately protect the people and their homes from such flooding as occurred two years ago in Kwun Tong."
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:--Then why didn't the Director of Public Works say in the first place that there are no retaining walls in Tsz Wan Shan, Mr. Chairman?
(8) DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question:
Is the Chairman aware of the illegal erection of a brick stove, the illegal dressing of poultry and the illegal storage of
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
CHAIRMAN: ----Mrs. ELLIOTT, you are introducing fresh matter, and if the Director of Public Works does not happen to have the informa- tion now, I cannot ask him to give it. He may give it if he knows.
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:-I think, Mr. Chairman, the answer is rather similar to the one given on the Roads and Drainage Office; that whenever there is rainfall we are ready to call contractors out, but we do not have gangs as such sitting by waiting for a call. We are, however, in a position to get gangs at work within a matter of a very few hours, and certainly the professional and technical staff of the Public Works Department do stand by in their homes during these periods of heavy rainfall. One other point, Mr. Chairman, Mrs. ELLIOTT has very generously said that the slopes at Tsz Wan Shan stood up to last night's rainfall, and that is so. But the danger period, I am afraid, will be to-morrow when the water has soaked into the slope. When I was there after the last rains it was gushing out about 15 to 20 feet down two or three days after the rain had occurred. This is the problem we are up against at this particular site.
MR. FORSGATE:-Mr. Chairman, may I ask a supplementary on Tsz Wan Shan? When Mrs. ELLIOTT and I visited the estate recently we noticed that the stability of those self-same slopes was being endangered by hordes of children playing on them, and we suggested that as there was vacant ground in the vicinity, that some of the vacant ground should be utilized for temporary playgrounds to give the young- sters somewhere to work off their energy and not interfere with the work in progress. Could I ask the Commissioner for Resettlement, through you, Sir, if any action has been taken on that suggestion?
CHAIRMAN:-Sir, I am compelled to give you the same answer as I have just given Mrs. ELLIOTT. You have introduced a great deal of fresh matter. If Mr. BARTY knows the answer he may give it.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I understand that the Urban Amenities Select Committee is going to use a site at Tsz Wan Shan for a temporary playground.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, on a point of clarification, since that answer was quite readily given by Mr. BARTY, and since any supplementary question that is raised by a member can be considered in a sense as new matter, wouldn't you agree then that this last supple- mentary was not new matter? (Laughter).
Mr. Chairman, with your permission, may I ask a supplementary from the Director of Public Works? In view of what he has said about the danger point being to-morrow night, and in view of the pos- sibility of rains continuing during the coming weeks, wouldn't it be desirable and necessary to have special attention paid to the retaining walls in this resettlement estate?
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
13
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS:-Mr. Chairman, I believe there are no retaining walls in this estate. (Laughter).
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, perhaps I didn't quite under- stand the reply. In paragraph 2 the Director of Public Works said: "that I can assure Mrs. ELLIOTT that every reasonable precau- tion is taken to ensure that the retaining walls and earthworks at the new resettlement estates are safe." In what respect was this answer given?
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: --There are other resettlement estates besides Tsz Wan Shan at which we do have retaining walls. In reply to Mrs. ELLIOTT's question I was referring to the situation generally, and then in the last part of the reply, I dealt specifically with Tsz Wan Shan.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-I would assert Mr. Chairman, that in an- swering this question, the Director of Public Works introduced new matter.
CHAIRMAN: --Mr. CHEONG-LEEN, the Standing Order reads as
follows:
"Any member may ask a supplementary question for the purpose of further elucidating any matter of fact regarding which an answer has been given, but a supplementary question must not be used to introduce matter not included in the original question."
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, with due respect I could not help but point that out since, in the first instance, the whole subject arose from the answer given by the Director of Public Works.
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: Could I read Mrs. ELLIOTT'S question, because I do not think Mr. CHEONG-LEEN has read it. It says:
"Now that the wet season is almost here, can any assurance be given that the retaining walls and earthworks in Tsz Wan Shan and other new resettlement estates are safe, and will adequately protect the people and their homes from such flooding as occurred two years ago in Kwun Tong."
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:--Then why didn't the Director of Public Works say in the first place that there are no retaining walls in Tsz Wan Shan, Mr. Chairman?
(8) DR. R. H. S. LEE asked the following question:
Is the Chairman aware of the illegal erection of a brick stove, the illegal dressing of poultry and the illegal storage of
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