1968 — Page 213

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

There are stray dogs from time to time in the estates and the services of the Dog Catching Units of the Agricultural and Fisheries Department are called upon as necessary in order to round them up.

DR. HUANG-Mr. Chairman, may I ask one supplementary, in the case where persuasion fails do we tolerate tenants still keeping their dogs in our estates or not?

MR. LI: Well, I think you know eviction from a resettlement unit is a very serious thing, and I would not consider it equitable to evict any tenant simply because he persists in keeping a dog.

DR. HUANG:-Mr. Chairman, may I ask another supplementary? In case the tenants still keep their dogs in our estates, should we suggest to the Management Select Committee that we should change our tenancy conditions rather than evict a tenant?

MR. LI:Mr. Chairman, I will be very happy to refer Dr. HUANG'S suggestion to the Management Select Committee for consideration.

(6) MR. SOLOMON RAFEEK asked the following question:-

I have received complaints about smells from the abattoir at Ma Tau Kok. Are there any plans for the removal of this abattoir which is now very old. If not, can any action be taken to reduce or eliminate the smells.

MR. WILSON T. S. WANG, CHAIRMAN OF THE ABATTOIRS AND OFFEN- SIVE TRADES SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:-

This question concerns smells from the slaughterhouse at Ma

Tau Kok.

This old slaughterhouse is to be replaced by a new abattoir at Cheung Sha Wan which is expected to come into service in the middle of 1969. However, even after the opening of the new abattoir, the Cattle Quarantine Depot at Ma Tau Kok will continue in use until alternative quarantine facilities have been provided in the New Territories. Unfortunately no firm date can be given at present for the removal of the Depot from Ma Tau Kok. The staff of the slaughterhouse do what they can to keep the premises as clean and free from smell as possible, but the age of the buildings and the high degree of overcrowding while slaughtering is going on make their task a very

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

difficult one.

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However, as I have indicated, the nuis- ance caused to residents should be reduced after the middle of 1969 when only the cattle depot will remain.

MR. RAFEEK:-Thank you.

(7) DR. P. F. Woo, in the absence of MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN, asked the following question: -

As a step towards further improvement in the hawker situa- tion, can the Chairman advise how soon will the District Hawker Consultative Committees be established and functioning?

MR. B. A. BERNACCHI, CHAIRMAN OF THE HAWKER POLICY SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows: —

This question concerns the establishment of District Hawker

Consultative Committees.

As Mr. CHEONG-LEEN is aware, the Hawker Policy Select Committee discussed this question recently and agreed that City District Officers should be asked to set up these Committees as soon as possible. It is hoped, in fact, that the first of them will be functioning within a matter of days. I regret that it is not possible for me to be more precise than this at present and the whole of the new hawker policies still have to be confirmed by the Standing Committee of the Whole Council.

MR. SALES: Sir, may I have your permission to ask the Chairman of the Hawker Policy Select Committee to elaborate on his answer in respect of the City District Officers role in these District Committees? Was it not envisaged in the Standing Committee of the Whole Council that if such committees were to be set up they would be chaired by Unofficial Members of the Council?

CHAIRMAN: -I would like to rule that out of order, Mr. SALES.

MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, in what way do you base your judge- ment in ruling this out of order, because it is in elaboration of the reply given by Mr. BERNACCHI and I, Sir, consider that you yourself are out of order in ruling my question out of order.

CHAIRMAN:-It is not quite in the context of the original question, Mr. SALES.

MR. SALES: -I am sorry, Mr. Chairman, I would like this matter to be referred to the Standing Orders and Procedures Select Committee.