1971 — Page 101

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

MR. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, may I ask the Chairman of the Select Committee to confirm whether Government has accepted as policy the construction of two new markets of conventional design each year? This is an old Urban Council policy and it was not carried out for a number of years. It is now being introduced again and will be pursued until all areas are served by such markets and the old markets have been reprovisioned. This is an important matter and I think the Council should be satisfied by a statement of policy on the part of Government.

CHAIRMAN: -I don't know if there is such a statement, Mr. SALES, but I do know that there were four in Category A this year and if we could have built four we would have built four instead of two.

MR. SALES: But is it going to be pursued as a policy of a minimum of two markets a year? This was a policy that was established over ten years ago and it wasn't carried out and is it being accepted now and will be implemented, that is what Council ought to know.

CHAIRMAN: I would need to look into that.

MR. SALES: -Would you and then let us have a paper on the subject.

CHAIRMAN: -To the whole Council?

MR. SALES: -Yes, I think this is a matter which concerns the Standing Committee of the Council as a whole.

(27) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question :-

(a) Why is it that Asian cities like Seoul, Tokyo and Singapore have streets which are so much cleaner and which are less cluttered up with litter?

(b) Until the city-wide "Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign" gets started next year, what will be done to have less litter cluttering up our streets? Also, what more can meantime be done to discourage and prevent irresponsible people from throwing rubbish from high-rise buildings into streets and resettlement courtyards which are used by schools?

MR. HENRY H. L. HU replied as follows: -

Mr. Chairman, I read out this answer as a member of the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee, and also as a member of the Campaign Committee.

There is no simple answer to the first part of this question. None of the three cities mentioned has the same problem

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of very high density living as we have in Hong Kong. We are all aware of the stern measures introduced which account for the cleanliness of Singapore. A study of public cleansing was made in Japan in 1968, and advice and information has been sought from the United Kingdom, U.S.A., New Zealand and many other countries. No study of the cleansing methods adopted in Seoul has been made, but I am aware that the cleanliness of Seoul has been reported to be greatly improved in the last three years. In the light of information received from other parts of the world, I can only suggest that we have so far failed to put across the anti-litter message properly.

I can assure Members that everything possible is being done to keep Hong Kong clean, but obviously efforts so far have not been sufficiently effective which is, of course, the reason for the city-wide campaign to be held in 1972. Whilst awaiting the campaign, the Cleansing Division of the Department, under the guidance of the Environmental Hygiene and Health Education Select Committees, will not relax, but will continue to do all they can and to introduce such improvements as may be possible. It must be patently obvious to us all that the Division is fighting a losing battle as over 500 tons (and this excludes resettlement estates) of litter and garbage fall on to our streets and have to be swept up daily.

The Council, and particularly the Campaign Committee, recognizes that the problem is not one for the Department alone, and all Government departments which are able to offer any assistance to achieve our aim have nominated senior representatives for the Campaign Committee. The Committee will consider every aspect of the problem so as to solve it at source, both by education and prosecution.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN: -Mr. Chairman, as regards the 500 tons mentioned in the second last paragraph, apart from what is coming out daily from the resettlement estates, are these 500 tons only within the urban areas?

CHAIRMAN: -I would like to think so, Mr. CHEONG-LEEN.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN: -And what is the number of tons of litter and garbage that come out daily from resettlement estates?

COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT: -At the last check I made I was told that the average production of rubbish from tenants in resettlement estates was approximately 12 ozs. a day per person so you have over a million people, 800,000 lbs. or thereabouts a day.

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