1966 — Page 276

Urban Council Proceedings 市政局議事錄 All AI Reviewed

Page 276 of 279

524

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

MRS. ELLIOTT:- Mr. Chairman, is there any reason to believe that it is possible that the incidence in Resettlement Estates is not reliable for any special reason?

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:- I think these figures are reliable enough because the same error applies outside the Resettlement Estates.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Mr. Chairman, in view of what the Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services said a little while ago to the effect that the incidence of tuberculosis is a matter which is very closely related to the housing problem, and since this Council in various forms is very much concerned with housing and also in view of the fact that Dr. BELL has disclosed that previously she has asked questions concerning tuberculosis in urban areas, would you be prepared, Sir, to allow a question on the order paper at a future meeting concerning the incidence of tuberculosis in the urban areas?

CHAIRMAN:- Sir, the urban areas also comprise Resettlement Estates. It depends how the question is worded as to whether I accept it or not. (Laughter).

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Perhaps, Sir, but would you accept that as a matter of principle and the question of wording could always come later. (Laughter).

CHAIRMAN:- I shall take refuge by saying that when a question of this nature is submitted with the due amount of notice I would have time to think it over.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Would you have enough time to co-operate?

(10) DR. A. M. S. BELL asked the following question:

Broken street gutters and pavements in the urban area are an obvious handicap to street cleansing. Can the Chairman state what is done to report defects with a view to their speedy repair?

THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:-

Reports on defective gutters and pavements are made regularly by Cleansing Staff of the Urban Services Department at a fortnightly meeting between representatives of the Public Works Department and the Urban Services Department. Repairs are usually carried out within two to three weeks. The present arrangement of fortnightly meetings started in July, 1965, and replaced an older system of reporting defects on special forms, a procedure which was found to be slow and ineffective.

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

525

Where defects are caused by building or trench works, repairs are not normally carried out by the Public Works Department until the work in question has been completed. In exceptional cases where cleansing operations are seriously impeded, the Roads and Drainage Office may, at the request of the Urban Services Department, make temporary repairs before a building project is completed and charge the owner of the building with the cost.

DR. BELL:- Mr. Chairman, in view of the fact that repairs are carried out so rapidly when these things are reported, would you be able to instruct your cleansing staff to report more fully, especially in the back streets and side streets where they come across defects?

CHAIRMAN: The sense of that question is perhaps that we do not report enough cases. The figure for January was 398, and for February this year 443. In any given month, of course, a particular address appears on the new list if in the interval of a fortnight it has not been attended to.

DR. BELL:- I was going to ask, these figures, did they include the 398 in the 440 or whatever it was? You said it was a fortnight. How many had in fact been repaired in the fortnight. Do you know?

CHAIRMAN:- No, I do not have that information. I imagine from experience of this four years ago that something like 60% will have been attended to in a month.

DR. BELL:- Mr. Chairman, it is an interesting figure you give in that case, because how does it happen that 400 more have got broken in the meantime? What is it that causes all these breakages?

CHAIRMAN:- I think Mr. WRIGHT could be eloquent on that subject.

DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: I seem to remember, Mr. Chairman, answering Dr. BELL about six months ago on the same subject. A lot of it is caused by people who misuse the pavements and the gutters by carrying on industrial processes outside, and very frequently you get heavy lorries parked on the pavement and they are continually being broken and continually being repaired.

DR. BELL:- Mr. Chairman, there really are some which I know of personally which have been broken for the past two years. I wonder whether various staff of the cleansing staff are reporting as many of these as could be reported?

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Page 276 of 279 524 HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL MRS. ELLIOTT:- Mr. Chairman, is there any reason to believe that it is possible that the incidence in Resettlement Estates is not reliable for any special reason? DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:- I think these figures are reliable enough because the same error applies outside the Resettlement Estates. MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Mr. Chairman, in view of what the Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services said a little while ago to the effect that the incidence of tuberculosis is a matter which is very closely related to the housing problem, and since this Council in various forms is very much concerned with housing and also in view of the fact that Dr. BELL has disclosed that previously she has asked questions concerning tuberculosis in urban areas, would you be prepared, Sir, to allow a question on the order paper at a future meeting concerning the incidence of tuberculosis in the urban areas? CHAIRMAN:- Sir, the urban areas also comprise Resettlement Estates. It depends how the question is worded as to whether I accept it or not. (Laughter). MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Perhaps, Sir, but would you accept that as a matter of principle and the question of wording could always come later. (Laughter). CHAIRMAN:- I shall take refuge by saying that when a question of this nature is submitted with the due amount of notice I would have time to think it over. MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Would you have enough time to co-operate? (10) DR. A. M. S. BELL asked the following question: Broken street gutters and pavements in the urban area are an obvious handicap to street cleansing. Can the Chairman state what is done to report defects with a view to their speedy repair? THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:- Reports on defective gutters and pavements are made regularly by Cleansing Staff of the Urban Services Department at a fortnightly meeting between representatives of the Public Works Department and the Urban Services Department. Repairs are usually carried out within two to three weeks. The present arrangement of fortnightly meetings started in July, 1965, and replaced an older system of reporting defects on special forms, a procedure which was found to be slow and ineffective. HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL 525 Where defects are caused by building or trench works, repairs are not normally carried out by the Public Works Department until the work in question has been completed. In exceptional cases where cleansing operations are seriously impeded, the Roads and Drainage Office may, at the request of the Urban Services Department, make temporary repairs before a building project is completed and charge the owner of the building with the cost. DR. BELL:- Mr. Chairman, in view of the fact that repairs are carried out so rapidly when these things are reported, would you be able to instruct your cleansing staff to report more fully, especially in the back streets and side streets where they come across defects? CHAIRMAN: The sense of that question is perhaps that we do not report enough cases. The figure for January was 398, and for February this year 443. In any given month, of course, a particular address appears on the new list if in the interval of a fortnight it has not been attended to. DR. BELL:- I was going to ask, these figures, did they include the 398 in the 440 or whatever it was? You said it was a fortnight. How many had in fact been repaired in the fortnight. Do you know? CHAIRMAN:- No, I do not have that information. I imagine from experience of this four years ago that something like 60% will have been attended to in a month. DR. BELL:- Mr. Chairman, it is an interesting figure you give in that case, because how does it happen that 400 more have got broken in the meantime? What is it that causes all these breakages? CHAIRMAN:- I think Mr. WRIGHT could be eloquent on that subject. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: I seem to remember, Mr. Chairman, answering Dr. BELL about six months ago on the same subject. A lot of it is caused by people who misuse the pavements and the gutters by carrying on industrial processes outside, and very frequently you get heavy lorries parked on the pavement and they are continually being broken and continually being repaired. DR. BELL:- Mr. Chairman, there really are some which I know of personally which have been broken for the past two years. I wonder whether various staff of the cleansing staff are reporting as many of these as could be reported? Page 276 of 279

Baseline (Original)

Page 276 of 279 524 HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, is there any reason to believe that it is possible that the incidence in Resettlement Estates is not reliable for any special reason? DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:-I think these figures are reliable enough because the same error applies outside the Resettlement Estates. MR. CHEONG-LEEN: --Mr. Chairman, in view of what the Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services said a little while ago to the effect that the incidence of tuberculosis is a matter which is very closely related to the housing problem, and since this Council in various forms is very much concerned with housing and also in view of the fact that Dr. BELL has disclosed that previously she has asked questions concern- ing tuberculosis in urban areas, would you be prepared, Sir, to allow a question on the order paper at a future meeting concerning the incidence of tuberculosis in the urban areas? CHAIRMAN: --Sir, the urban areas also comprise Resettlement Estates. It depends how the question is worded as to whether I accept it or not. (Laughter). MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Perhaps, Sir, but would you accept that as a matter of principle and the question of wording could always come later. (Laughter). CHAIRMAN:-I shall take refuge by saying that when a question of this nature is submitted with the due amount of notice I would have time to think it over. MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Would you have enough time to co-operate? (10) DR. A. M. S. BELL asked the following question: Broken street gutters and pavements in the urban area are an obvious handicap to street cleansing. Can the Chairman state what is done to report defects with a view to their speedy repair? THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:- Reports on defective gutters and pavements are made regularly by Cleansing Staff of the Urban Services Department at a fortnightly meeting between representatives of the Public Works Department and the Urban Services Department. Repairs are usually carried out within two to three weeks. The present arrangement of fortnightly meetings started HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL 525 in July, 1965, and replaced an older system of reporting defects on special forms, a procedure which was found to be slow and ineffective. Where defects are caused by building or trench works, repairs are not normally carried out by the Public Works Depart- ment until the work in question has been completed. In exceptional cases where cleansing operations are seriously impeded, the Roads and Drainage Office may, at the re- quest of the Urban Services Department, make temporary repairs before a building project is completed and charge the owner of the building with the cost. DR. BELL:-Mr. Chairman, in view of the fact that repairs are carried out so rapidly when these things are reported, would you be able to instruct your cleansing staff to report more fully, especially in the back streets and side streets where they come across defects? CHAIRMAN: The sense of that question is perhaps that we do not report enough cases. The figure for January was 398, and for February this year 443. In any given month, of course, a particular address appears on the new list if in the interval of a fortnight it has not been attended to. DR. BELL:—I was going to ask, these figures, did they include the 398 in the 440 or whatever it was? You said it was a fortnight. How many had in fact been repaired in the fortnight. Do you know? CHAIRMAN:-No, I do not have that information. I imagine from experience of this four years ago that something like 60% will have been attended to in a month. DR. BELL:Mr. Chairman, it is an interesting figure you give in that case, because how does it happen that 400 more have got broken in the meantime? What is it that causes all these breakages? CHAIRMAN:-I think Mr. WRIGHT could be eloquent on that subject. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: I seem to remember, Mr. Chair- man, answering Dr. BELL about six months ago on the same subject. A lot of it is caused by people who misuse the pavements and the gutters by carrying on industrial processes outside, and very frequently you get heavy lorries parked on the pavement and they are continually being broken and continually being repaired. DR. BELL:-Mr. Chairman, there really are some which I know of personally which have been broken for the past two years. I wonder whether various staff of the cleansing staff are reporting as many of these as could be reported? I 1

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Page 276 of 279

524

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

MRS. ELLIOTT:-Mr. Chairman, is there any reason to believe that it is possible that the incidence in Resettlement Estates is not reliable for any special reason?

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:-I think these figures are reliable enough because the same error applies outside the Resettlement Estates.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN: --Mr. Chairman, in view of what the Deputy Director of Medical and Health Services said a little while ago to the effect that the incidence of tuberculosis is a matter which is very closely related to the housing problem, and since this Council in various forms is very much concerned with housing and also in view of the fact that Dr. BELL has disclosed that previously she has asked questions concern- ing tuberculosis in urban areas, would you be prepared, Sir, to allow a question on the order paper at a future meeting concerning the incidence of tuberculosis in the urban areas?

CHAIRMAN: --Sir, the urban areas also comprise Resettlement Estates. It depends how the question is worded as to whether I accept it or not. (Laughter).

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Perhaps, Sir, but would you accept that as a matter of principle and the question of wording could always come later. (Laughter).

CHAIRMAN:-I shall take refuge by saying that when a question of this nature is submitted with the due amount of notice I would have time to think it over.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Would you have enough time to co-operate?

(10) DR. A. M. S. BELL asked the following question:

Broken street gutters and pavements in the urban area are an obvious handicap to street cleansing. Can the Chairman state what is done to report defects with a view to their speedy repair?

THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:-

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

525

in July, 1965, and replaced an older system of reporting defects on special forms, a procedure which was found to be slow and ineffective.

Where defects are caused by building or trench works, repairs are not normally carried out by the Public Works Depart- ment until the work in question has been completed. In exceptional cases where cleansing operations are seriously impeded, the Roads and Drainage Office may, at the re- quest of the Urban Services Department, make temporary repairs before a building project is completed and charge the owner of the building with the cost.

DR. BELL:-Mr. Chairman, in view of the fact that repairs are carried out so rapidly when these things are reported, would you be able to instruct your cleansing staff to report more fully, especially in the back streets and side streets where they come across defects?

DR. BELL:—I was going to ask, these figures, did they include the 398 in the 440 or whatever it was? You said it was a fortnight. How many had in fact been repaired in the fortnight. Do you know?

CHAIRMAN:-No, I do not have that information. I imagine from experience of this four years ago that something like 60% will have been attended to in a month.

DR. BELL:Mr. Chairman, it is an interesting figure you give in that case, because how does it happen that 400 more have got broken in the meantime? What is it that causes all these breakages?

CHAIRMAN:-I think Mr. WRIGHT could be eloquent on that

subject.

DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS: I seem to remember, Mr. Chair- man, answering Dr. BELL about six months ago on the same subject. A lot of it is caused by people who misuse the pavements and the gutters by carrying on industrial processes outside, and very frequently you get heavy lorries parked on the pavement and they are continually being broken and continually being repaired.

DR. BELL:-Mr. Chairman, there really are some which I know of personally which have been broken for the past two years. I wonder whether various staff of the cleansing staff are reporting as many of these as could be reported?

1966 — Page 276

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