HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
be made will be considered by this Select Committee at that time. I personally am against charging anybody under a law which is not available to him to read, and as the vast majority of the people of Hong Kong are of the Chinese race this means that I advocate an adequate translation of these By-laws into Chinese.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Mr. Chairman, can the Chairman of the Select Committee tell us when the fifth draft will be ready?
MR. BERNACCHI:- I hope, very much hope, that there will be no fifth draft but a final body of By-laws put up to this Council to pass in general meeting.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- That answer is most reassuring, Mr. Chairman. Now can I ask if it will be possible to have both a translation of the By-laws in toto as well as a simpler guide because not every hawker understands legal language and I think a simpler guide is also just as useful as a complete translation into Chinese of the By-laws in toto?
MR. BERNACCHI:- I personally am in favour of this. I don't know how much extra cost is involved but I agree with Mr. CHEONG-LEEN that the average hawker cannot be expected to understand the language, even the translated language of the Chinese that is part and parcel of our laws, but nevertheless I do think that the laws themselves in this case should be translated into Chinese and indeed a simpler guide in Chinese provided as well, if possible.
(5) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:-
How many swimming pools are there in Resettlement Estates? Is it possible to provide a swimming pool for larger estates with a population of over 50,000?
MR. H. M. G. FORSGATE, in the absence of MR. A. de O. SALES, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION AND AMENITIES SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:-
Mr. Chairman, I am sure Mr. SALES would have given this question the full treatment and in his absence I will do my best.
In July 1970 the Recreation and Amenities Select Committee approved a departmental paper proposing a swimming pool construction programme based on a formula of one complex of pools (of varying numbers, depending on the size of the site) for approximately every 250,000 persons
Page 113 of 242
206 HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
in the urban areas, irrespective of whether or not they live in resettlement estates. In addition to the pools already existing or in the Public Works Programme, this would have meant the construction of another six pool complexes. This paper was referred to the Colonial Secretariat, which replied that although the Building Priorities Committee was not unfavourably disposed to the building of more swimming pools it regretted that it was unable to agree to the commitment implied in a long term programme for the provision of facilities of this nature, and that each pool proposed would have to be considered on its merits at the time of submission.
At that time, the only pools open to the public were at Victoria Park and Kowloon Tsai, neither of which is in the vicinity of any resettlement estates. Since then, large new complexes have been opened at Morse Park and Kwun Tong, and if all goes well, a third should be opened at Lei Cheng Uk within the next few weeks. These three pools are well placed to serve a large number of resettlement estates. Morse Park pool is immediately adjacent to Wong Tai Sin Estate, and is within easy distance of Wang Tau Hom, Tung Tau and Lo Fu Ngam: the combined population of these four estates is about 246,923. Kwun Tong pool is immediately adjacent to Kwun Tong estate and is not far from Ngau Tau Kok, Jordan Valley, Lam Tin, and Sau Mau Ping estates, with their combined population of around 281,212. Lei Cheng Uk pool adjoins the estate of that name and is convenient for Shek Kip Mei, Tai Hang Tung, and Pak Tin, which between them have a population of approximately 152,145. There are already items in the Public Works Programme for pools at Tai Wan which will serve Hung Hom estate (population 8,692); and at Chai Wan which will serve both Chai Wan and Hing Wah estates, whose present combined population is about 64,093. Other pools in the Public Works Programme on which work has already started are at Morrison Hill and Kennedy Town, neither of which is in the neighbourhood of any resettlement estate.
The department proposes to seek inclusion in next year's Public Works Programme of two more pools, one at Hammer Hill Road, which will serve Tsz Wan Shan estate (population 135,956) and the adjoining areas, and the other at Kowloon Park, to cater for the Tsim Sha Tsui, Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok districts. If these
Page 114 of 242
J
Page 112 of 242
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
be made will be considered by this Select Committee at that time. I personally am against charging anybody under a law which is not available to him to read, and as the vast majority of the people of Hong Kong are of the Chinese race this means that I advocate an adequate translation of these By-laws into Chinese.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, can the Chairman of the Select Committee tell us when the fifth draft will be ready?
MR. BERNACCHI:-I hope, very much hope, that there will be no fifth draft but a final body of By-laws put up to this Council to pass in general meeting.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-That answer is most reassuring, Mr. Chair- man. Now can I ask if it will be possible to have both a translation of the By-laws in toto as well as a simpler guide because not every hawker understands legal language and I think a simpler guide is also just as useful as a complete translation into Chinese of the By-laws in toto?
MR. BERNACCHI:-I personally am in favour of this. I don't know how much extra cost is involved but I agree with Mr. CHEONG-LEEN that the average hawker cannot be expected to understand the language, even the translated language of the Chinese that is part and parcel of our laws, but nevertheless I do think that the laws themselves in this case should be translated into Chinese and indeed a simpler guide in Chinese provided as well, if possible.
(5) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question :-
How many swimming pools are there in Resettlement Estates? Is it possible to provide a swimming pool for larger estates with a population of over 50,000?
MR. H. M. G. FORSGATE, in the absence of MR. A. de O. SALES, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION AND AMENITIES SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows:-
Mr. Chairman, I am sure Mr. SALES would have given this question the full treatment and in his absence I will do my best.
In July 1970 the Recreation and Amenities Select Committee approved a departmental paper proposing a swimming pool construction programme based on a formula of one complex of pools (of varying numbers, depending on the size of the site) for approximately every 250,000 persons
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
205
in the urban areas, irrespective of whether or not they live in resettlement estates. In addition to the pools already existing or in the Public Works Programme, this would have meant the construction of another six pool complexes. This paper was referred to the Colonial Secretariat, which replied that although the Building Priorities Committee was not unfavourably disposed to the building of more swimming pools it regretted that it was unable to agree to the commitment implied in a long term programme for the provision of facilities of this nature, and that each pool proposed would have to be considered on its merits at the time of submission.
At that time, the only pools open to the public were at Victoria Park and Kowloon Tsai, neither of which is in the vicinity of any resettlement estates. Since then, large new complexes have been opened at Morse Park and Kwun Tong, and if all goes well, a third should be opened at Lei Cheng Uk within the next few weeks. These three pools are well placed to serve a large number of resettlement estates. Morse Park pool is immediately adjacent to Wong Tai Sin Estate, and is within easy dis- tance of Wang Tau Hom, Tung Tau and Lo Fu Ngam: the combined population of these four estates is about 246,923. Kwun Tong pool is immediately adjacent to Kwun Tong estate and is not far from Ngau Tau Kok, Jordan Valley, Lam Tin, and Sau Mau Ping estates, with their combined population of around 281,212. Lei Cheng Uk pool adjoins the estate of that name and is convenient for Shek Kip Mei, Tai Hang Tung, and Pak Tin, which between them have a population of approxi- mately 152,145. There are already items in the Public Works Programme for pools at Tai Wan which will serve Hung Hom estate (population 8,692); and at Chai Wan which will serve both Chai Wan and Hing Wah estates, whose present combined population is about 64,093. Other pools in the Public Works Programme on which work has already started are at Morrison Hill and Kennedy Town, neither of which is in the neighbour- hood of any resettlement estate.
The department proposes to seek inclusion in next year's Public Works Programme of two more pools, one at Hammer Hill Road, which will serve Tsz Wan Shan estate (population 135,956) and the adjoining areas, and the other at Kowloon Park, to cater for the Tsim Sha Tsui, Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok districts. If these
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