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the older estates where there is a heavy demand for ground floor rooms for welfare activities of all kinds.
DR. HUANG:-Mr. Chairman, since the inhabitants of our Estates may number up to, say, 100,000 people which equals the size of many towns in England for which we always provide proper post office services, and I think it is very important for us to provide such service for our Estate inhabitants. On the other hand, I notice that the fronts of our Resettlement Estate offices appear to have enough room to offer for post offices. Could we ask the Commissioner for Resettlement to try to arrange to set out some space for post offices?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I do not think I can agree to that proposition, Mr. Chairman. As I say, the Postmaster General has been asked to re-consider the position and, of course, I understand that in providing post offices he has to take into account not only the Resettlement Estate population but the various areas surrounding the Estate as a whole. Post offices are, again as I understand, provided on that basis in the vicinity of all Estates. There are two Estates, in fact Chai Wan and Wong Tai Sin Estates, that already have post offices within the Estates.
DR. HUANG:-Mr. Chairman, as far as I know, at least at Tsz Wan Shan Estate which houses over 100,000 people, they have got only two staff in the post office or whatever is there as a temporary hut, and the total of 5 postmen come from Kowloon City post office. It is obvious that the service there for that size of estate is very unsatisfactory and I do hope that, when the temporary post office becomes a permanent one in a better building, we will try our best to secure proper staff for service in the future.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-Sir, as Dr. HUANG implied in his question, the newer Estates have plans to have post offices within the Estates, and there is one in fact planned for Tsz Wan Shan.
DR. HUANG:-My point is that, although there is a post office, even now it is so under-staffed and the service provided is so unsatisfactory, and actually the Tsz Wan Shan Estate is the one brought to my notice because several people made a complaint if not only to the newspapers but also to me, and that is why even if we have promised a post office here.
(At this point the Chairman interposed).
CHAIRMAN: ---Dr. HUANG, you must frame this in the form of a question and not as a statement.
MR. C. K. CHAN:-Mr. Chairman, may I suggest that these questions number 13 and 14 be referred to the Resettlement Management Committee, so that perhaps the Commissioner for Resettlement may invite the Post Office to send some official along to explain the position, and then perhaps a paper could be produced for discussion, if the Commissioner has no objection.
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may invite the Post Office to send some official along to explain the position, and then perhaps a paper could be produced for discussion, if the Commissioner has no objection.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I could certainly produce more details for the Select Committee but, of course, I could not request the Postmaster General to attend the meeting.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Perhaps you could request but not command?
MR. SALES:-Mr. Chairman. A point, then I have finished. Whilst Standing Orders prescribe that you can indicate any member of the Urban Council to answer a question as you may wish, may I ask why questions concerning resettlement, as distinct from questions on other subjects in the Urban Council, are not answered by their respective chairmen of the Select Committees? For example, I would have like to have seen the chairman of the Resettlement Policy Select Committee answering some of these questions concerning policy, and I would be very happy to hear the chairman of the Resettlement Management Select Committee answering questions concerning the estates. May I ask if you would consider this matter, Sir?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-Sir, may I say that this particular matter affects Estates, as Mr. SALES has said, and the respective chairman is absent to-day.
MR. SALES:-Mr. Chairman, am I to understand that had the chairman been present he would have answered these questions to-day?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-Sir, that is a hypothetical question. Perhaps Mr. SALES will remember that the previous chairman of the Resettlement Management Select Committee did, in fact, answer questions on several occasions.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Perhaps, Mr. Chairman, you will permit me to make a personal statement that, as regards policy matters, the Commissioner referred his answers to me before he gave them to-day.
MR. SALES: Why is it that the chairman of the Policy Select Committee did not answer these questions himself, and then he would have exposed himself to the supplementary questions as well?
(15) MR. PETER C. K. CHAN asked the following question:
Kwun Tong has a population of 400,000 and I understand that there is no public library there. Can this Council be informed:
(a) Is there any plan to establish a public library there? (b) If so, when can it be established?
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the older estates where there is a heavy demand for ground floor rooms for welfare activities of all kinds.
DR. HUANG-Mr. Chairman, since the inhabitants of our Estates may number up to, say, 100,000 people which equals the size of many towns in England for which we always provide proper post office services, and I think it is very important for us to provide such service for our Estate inhabitants. On the other hand, I notice that the fronts of our Resettlement Estate offices appear to have enough room to offer for post offices. Could we ask the Commissioner for Resettlement to try to arrange to set out some space for post offices?
COMMISSIONER for ResettlemENT:-I do not think I can agree to that proposition, Mr. Chairman. As I say, the Postmaster General has been asked to re-consider the position and, of course, I understand that in providing post offices he has to take into account not only the Resettlement Estate population but the various areas surrounding the Estate as a whole. Post offices are, again as I understand, provided on that basis in the vicinity of all Estates. There are two Estates, in fact Chai Wan and Wong Tai Sin Estates, that already have post offices within the Estates.
DR. HUANG:-Mr. Chairman, as far as I know, at least at Tsz Wan Shan Estate which houses over 100,000 people, they have got only two staff in the post office or whatever is there as a temporary hut, and the total of 5 postmen come from Kowloon City post office. It is obvious that the service there for that size of estate is very unsatis- factory and I do hope that, when the temporary post office becomes a permanent one in a better building, we will try our best to secure proper staff for service in the future.
COMMISSIONER for ResettleMENT:-Sir, as Dr. HUANG implied in his question, the newer Estates have plans to have post offices within the Estates, and there is one in fact planned for Tsz Wan Shan.
DR. HUANG-My point is that, although there is a post office, even now it is so under-staffed and the service provided is so un- satisfactory, and actually the Tsz Wan Shan Estate is the one brought to my notice because several people made a complaint if not only to the newspapers but also to me, and that is why even if we have promised a post office here .
(At this point the Chairman interposed).
CHAIRMAN: ---Dr. HUANG, you must frame this in the form of a question and not as a statement.
MR. C. K. CHAN:-Mr. Chairman, may I suggest that these questions number 13 and 14 be referred to the Resettlement Manage- ment Committee, so that perhaps the Commissioner for Resettlement
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may invite the Post Office to send some official along to explain the position, and then perhaps a paper could be produced for discussion, if the Commissioner has no objection.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-I could certainly produce more details for the Select Committee but, of course, I could not request the Postmaster General to attend the meeting.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Perhaps you could request but not command? MR. SALES: -Mr. Chairman. A point, then I have finished. Whilst Standing Orders prescribe that you can indicate any member of the Urban Council to answer a question as you may wish, may I ask why questions concerning resettlement, as distinct from questions on other subjects in the Urban Council, are not answered by their respec- tive chairmen of the Select Committees? For example, I would have like to have seen the chairman of the Resettlement Policy Select Committee answering some of these questions concerning policy, and I would be very happy to hear the chairman of the Resettlement Management Select Committee answering questions concerning the estates. May I ask if you would consider this matter, Sir?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:—Sir, may I say that this particular matter affects Estates, as Mr. SALES has said, and the respective chairman is absent to-day.
MR. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, am I to understand that had the chairman been present he would have answered these questions to-day?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:-Sir, that is a hypothetical question. Perhaps Mr. SALES will remember that the previous chair- man of the Resettlement Management Select Committee did, in fact, answer questions on several occasions.
MR. BERNACCHI:--Perhaps, Mr. Chairman, you will permit me to make a personal statement that, as regards policy matters, the Com- missioner referred his answers to me before he gave them to-day.
MR. SALES: Why is it that the chairman of the Policy Select Committee did not answer these questions himself, and then he would have exposed himself to the supplementary questions as well?
(15) MR. PETER C. K. CHAN asked the following question:
Kwun Tong has a population of 400,000 and I understand that there is no public library there. Can this Council be informed:
(a) Is there any plan to establish a public library there? (b) If so, when can it be established?
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