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if I bring this matter to their attention and the very full answer which no doubt a lot of it came from the Marine Department which you produced to-day.
CHAIRMAN:-Thank you.
(6) MR. PETER C. K. CHAN asked the following question:-
I understand that tenants (other than ground floor tenants) in the Resettlement Estates are not allowed to install air conditioners; what are the reasons behind this?
THE COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows:
Since 1964 domestic tenants in resettlement estsates have not been allowed to install air-conditioners.
The reason for this ban is the practical difficulty of providing the electrical supply needed. With the increasing use of electrical appliances in the estates it has been necessary to uprate the supply and this work is currently in hand. But this uprating will provide only for the use of such appliances as rice-cookers, fans, electric irons and the like. If provision was to be made for appliances that have a comparatively heavy consumption of electricity, as for example air-conditioners or water heaters, a further and more expensive uprating would be required. This would in turn mean that the cost would have to be recovered by a general increase in rents which it is considered would be inequitable. The alternative--to make a direct charge on any tenant who installed these appliances--would be impracticable. It would be impossible to estimate with any degree of accuracy the probable demand for these appliances and therefore to determine the scale of the uprating required or consequently the charge to be recovered from the tenants concerned.
This matter has been discussed by the Resettlement Policy Select Committee and a further paper will shortly be put before the members of this committee.
MR. C. K. CHAN:-Mr. Chairman, may I ask, is it true that the ground floor tenants who are operating business at the moment and who want to install air-conditioning, and normally they are required to get electricity from the China Light or the other Company, they have to have special wiring at their own expense? If so, can this provision also be applied to the mass of tenants in Resettlement Estates?
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COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-Sir, I understand that is not possible, but it is possible to provide local supplies on the ground floors; but for upper storeys it is quite a different problem and it is just not feasible.
MR. C. K. CHAN:-May I ask whether the Commissioner for Resettlement has been in contact with both of the Electricity Companies to study the feasibility of this arrangement?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-My contact, Sir, has been with the Public Works Department's electrical engineers.
MR. C. K. CHAN:-In that case, Sir, may someone from the Government answer whether the electrical engineer has been in consultation with the electricity company if you, Sir, do not rule it out of order.
CHAIRMAN:-Strictly speaking it is out of order; however, perhaps Director of Public Works could help us out.
DIRECTOR OF Public Works:-Mr. Chairman, I can see little point in contacting the power companies to advise the electrical engineer on what he should do; that is what it is amounting to; they have done quite an extensive investigation into this matter which was actually considered by the Resettlement Policy Select Committee and the problem of allowing air conditioners to go to Resettlement Estates is quite a difficult one. For instance, the size of your main cable that is going up the blocks, would have to be multiplied by five or six or even ten times depending upon the number of air conditioners to be installed. How many are going to be installed? So you first have got to say how many air conditioners are going into the building, then you have got to try and assess what size of cable you have to put in your main buildings to take this load. It is quite an impractical proposition. In addition, of course, in some of these older buildings, the Mark I and II, the air conditioning itself would be discharging or pumping out on to the main balcony which is the main thoroughfare to and from all the blocks. In these older blocks, I would say it is most inadvisable to have air conditioning in them at all because of the other people in the block.
MR. C. K. CHAN:-Mr. Chairman, in that case, would the Commissioner be kind enough to arrange for his staff to investigate through a questionnaire, or otherwise, how many of the domestic tenants are keen to have their rooms fitted with air conditioners and then we will, with the assistance of the Public Works Department and in close consultation with both power companies, study the matter further and may this point be looked at and referred to the joint committee of the Resettlement Policy and Management committees.
CHAIRMAN:-Would you like the Commissioner for Resettlement, Mr. CHAN, to ask at the same time if they would be prepared to meet the cost of the installation?
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if I bring this matter to their attention and the very full answer which no doubt a lot of it came from the Marine Department which you pro- duced to-day.
CHAIRMAN:-Thank you.
(6) MR. PETER C. K. CHAN asked the following question:-
I understand that tenants (other than ground floor tenants) in the Resettlement Estates are not allowed to install air conditioners; what are the reasons behind this?
THE COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows:
Since 1964 domestic tenants in resettlement estates have not
been allowed to install air-conditioners.
The reason for this ban is the practical difficulty of providing the electrical supply needed. With the increasing use of electrical appliances in the estates it has been necessary to uprate the supply and this work is currently in hand. But this uprating will provide only for the use of such appliances as rice-cookers, fans, electric irons and the like. If provision was to be made for appliances that have a comparatively heavy consumption of electricity, as for example air-conditioners or water heaters, a further and more expensive uprating would be required. This would in turn mean that the cost would have to be recovered by a general increase in rents which it is considered would be inequitable. The alternative--to make a direct charge on any tenant who installed these appliances-would be impracticable. It would be impossible to estimate with any degree of accuracy the probable demand for these appliances and therefore to determine the scale of the uprating required or consequently the charge to be re- covered from the tenants concerned.
This matter has been discussed by the Resettlement Policy Select Committee and a further paper will shortly be put before the members of this committee.
MR. C. K. CHAN:-Mr. Chairman, may I ask, is it true that the ground floor tenants who are operating business at the moment and who want to install air-conditioning, and normally they are required to get electricity from the China Light or the other Company, they have to have special wiring at their own expense? If so, can this provision also be applied to the mass of tenants in Resettlement Estates?
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
113
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-Sir, I understand that is not possible, but it is possible to provide local supplies on the ground floors; but for upper storeys it is quite a different problem and it is just not feasible.
MR. C. K. CHAN:-May I ask whether the Commissioner for Resettlement has been in contact with both of the Electricity Companies to study the feasibility of this arrangement?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-My contact, Sir, has been with the Public Works Department's electrical engineers.
MR. C. K. CHAN:-In that case, Sir, may someone from the Government answer whether the electrical engineer has been in con- sultation with the electricity company if you, Sir, do not rule it out of order.
CHAIRMAN:-Strictly speaking it is out of order; however, perhaps Director of Public Works could help us out.
DIRECTOR OF Public Works:---Mr. Chairman, I can see little point in contacting the power companies to advise the electrical engineer on what he should do; that is what it is amounting to; they have done quite an extensive investigation into this matter which was actually considered by the Resettlement Policy Select Committee and the problem of allowing air conditioners to go to Resettlement Estates is quite a difficult one. For instance, the size of your main cable that is going up the blocks, would have to be multiplied by five or six or even ten times depending upon the number of air conditioners to be installed. How many are going to be installed? So you first have got to say how many air conditioners are going into the building, then you have got to try and assess what size of cable you have to put in your main buildings to take this load. It is quite an impractical proposition. In addition, of course, in some of these older buildings, the Mark I and II, the air conditioning itself would be discharging or pumping out on to the main balcony which is the main thoroughfare to and from all the blocks. In these older blocks, I would say it is most inadvisable to have air condi- tioning in them at all because of the other people in the block.
MR. C. K. CHAN:-Mr. Chairman, in that case, would the Com- missioner be kind enough to arrange for his staff to investigate through a questionnaire, or otherwise, how many of the domestic tenants are keen to have their rooms fitted with air conditioners and then we will, with the assistance of the Public Works Department and in close con- sultation with both power companies, study the matter further and may this point be looked at and referred to the joint committee of the Resettlement Policy and Management committees.
CHAIRMAN:-Would you like the Commissioner for Resettlement, Mr. CHAN, to ask at the same time if they would be prepared to meet the cost of the installation?
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.