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not displayed satisfactorily it is routine for the owners' or occupiers' attention to be drawn to the fact by letter. They are asked to put the matter right.
DR. HUANG-Mr. Chairman, I am very thankful to Mr. SALES for his detailed and very satisfactory reply to my question. However, in his reply he states that nearly 20% of the old pre-war buildings are still not properly numbered. Well, I personally travel very extensively across the city, and it is very disheartening to find still that the place where I lived for over twenty years is the place where I often find it difficult to find the right place. So, I am still hoping that Mr. SALES will contact the relevant authority and ask them to pursue it and do their utmost to put up the numbers.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, I should be very happy if your department could undertake that task. (Laughter).
(5) MR. A. de O. SALES asked the following question:-
(a) As the Code of Practice which your department follows applies only when pollution of our beaches has occurred, may this Council know what measures your department takes either independently or together with other Government departments to prevent oil pollution and to minimize the hazard to our swimming areas so that the public may not be deprived of this very popular form of recreation?
(b) Has your department studied what precautions are taken in other countries?
(c) Have the oil companies and other interested parties been consulted by your department as to the latest techniques used elsewhere?
(d) Has your department instigated any steps to ensure that the mooring of oil tankers is controlled and isolated?
(e) Has your department, in conjunction with the Marine Department, approached shipping companies and agencies to prevent the indiscriminate discharge of oil-contaminated ballast?
(f) What account has your department taken of the tidal stream and its effect on our beaches when in danger of oil pollution?
(g) Are you able to tell this Council how much was spent last season and has so far been spent this year to clean our beaches after such pollution?
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(h) Is it known to your department what measures have been recommended by the committee the Government appointed to study the question of oil pollution? Will this report be published?
THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:
The "Code of Practice" to which reference is made does not in fact deal merely with the situation after the pollution of beaches has occurred, but is in two parts dealing with, firstly, marine aspects and, secondly, land aspects. The recent Recreation and Amenities Select Committee Paper which no doubt prompted this question had attached to it, however, only those extracts of the relevant sections of the Land Aspects of the Code-with which the Urban Services Department is operationally and directly involved.
The Marine Department is, of course, the authority in the case of the marine aspects of the Code and my Department is in close liaison with that Department, and as soon as there is any indication that a reported oil slick at sea might affect the shore, measures are immediately taken by staff of the Recreation and Amenities Division to deal with pollution of the beaches which might occur. For its part, the Marine Department takes action (if necessary with the assistance of the Fire Services) to disperse the floating oil when it is still at sea, and so prevent or very considerably minimize pollution of the shore line. The basic principle naturally is that everything must be done to disperse the oil before it reaches the shore.
Oil pollution can be caused by either deliberate or accidental discharge of oil into the sea. The deliberate discharge of oil or oil sludge takes place usually in the cleaning process of ships' tanks during the course of an ocean voyage. In May 1963, the "Oil in Navigable Waters Act" of the United Kingdom was extended, in part, to the Colony to prevent indiscriminate discharge of oil into the Colony waters. This Act prohibits, inter alia, the discharge of oil within 50 miles of any land, provides for equipment to be fitted in ships to prevent oil pollution and for the keeping of records of matters relating to oil escapes, discharges and disposals.
Accidental discharge of oil into the sea is mainly caused by stranded, wrecked or sunken vessels. These happenings are unpredictable and of infrequent occurrence and, there-
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not displayed satisfactorily it is routine for the owners' or occupiers' attention to be drawn to the fact by letter. They are asked to put the matter right.
DR. HUANG-Mr. Chairman, I am very thankful to Mr. SALES for his detailed and very satisfactory reply to my question. However, in his reply he states that nearly 20% of the old pre-war buildings are still not properly numbered. Well, I personally travel very extensively across the city, and it is very disheartening to find still that the place where I lived for over twenty years is the place where I often find it difficult to find the right place. So, I am still hoping that Mr. SALES will contact the relevant authority and ask them to pursue it and do their utmost to put up the numbers.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, I should be very happy if your depart- ment could undertake that task. (Laughter).
(5) MR. A. de O. SALES asked the following question:-
(a) As the Code of Practice which your department follows applies only when pollution of our beaches has occurred, may this Council know what measures your department takes either independently or together with other Govern- ment departments to prevent oil pollution and to minimize the hazard to our swimming areas so that the public may not be deprived of this very popular form of recreation? (b) Has your department studied what precautions are taken
in other countries?
(c) Have the oil companies and other interested parties been consulted by your department as to the latest techniques used elsewhere?
(d) Has your department instigated any steps to ensure that the mooring of oil tankers is controlled and isolated? (e) Has your department, in conjunction with the Marine Department, approached shipping companies and agencies to prevent the indiscriminate discharge of oil-contaminated ballast?
(f) What account has your department taken of the tidal stream and its effect on our beaches when in danger of oil pollution?
(g) Are you able to tell this Council how much was spent last season and has so far been spent this year to clean our beaches after such pollution?
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
103
(h) Is it known to your department what measures have been recommended by the committee the Government appoint- ed to study the question of oil pollution? Will this report be published?
THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:
The "Code of Practice" to which reference is made does not in fact deal merely with the situation after the pollution of beaches has occurred, but is in two parts dealing with, firstly, marine aspects and, secondly, land aspects. The recent Recreation and Amenities Select Committee Paper which no doubt prompted this question had attached to it, however, only those extracts of the relevant sections of the Land Aspects of the Code-with which the Urban Services Department is operationally and directly involved.
The Marine Department is, of course, the authority in the case of the marine aspects of the Code and my Depart- ment is in close liaison with that Department, and as soon as there is any indication that a reported oil slick at sea might affect the shore, measures are immediately taken by staff of the Recreation and Amenities Division to deal with pollution of the beaches which might occur. For its part, the Marine Department takes action (if necessary with the assistance of the Fire Services) to disperse the floating oil when it is still at sea, and so prevent or very considerably minimize pollution of the shore line. The basic principle naturally is that every- thing must be done to disperse the oil before it reaches the shore.
Oil pollution can be caused by either deliberate or accidental discharge of oil into the sea. The deliberate discharge of oil or oil sludge takes place usually in the cleaning process of ships' tanks during the course of an ocean voyage. In May 1963, the "Oil in Navigable Waters Act" of the United Kingdom was extended, in part, to the Colony to prevent indiscriminate discharge of oil into the Colony waters. This Act prohibits, inter alia, the discharge of oil within 50 miles of any land, provides for equipment to be fitted in ships to prevent oil pollu- tion and for the keeping of records of matters relating to oil escapes, discharges and disposals.
Accidental discharge of oil into the sea is mainly caused by stranded, wrecked or sunken vessels. These happenings are unpredictable and of infrequent occurrence and, there-
Page 61 of 237
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