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public not to purchase meat from hawkers, and to add that even greater danger to the public results from buying fish and shell fish from illegal hawkers. For, of the thousands of catties of food seized last year, the bulk was seafood.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Mr. Chairman, since the Urban Services Department cannot carry out its responsibilities thoroughly due to insufficient manpower available, could you draw this to the attention of the Colonial Secretariat and, if necessary, to the Governor-in-Council?
CHAIRMAN:- I shall pass the information on.
(5) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:
What facilities are being provided to the general public at the Urban Council's Hung Hom Cemetery Depot or Funeral Parlour? How many funerals took place at this Cemetery Depot or Funeral Parlour during 1970? To what extent is this cemetery depot or funeral parlour non-profit-making and what is the annual subsidy; can it be air-conditioned in order that the service can be improved? How much longer is this cemetery depot or funeral parlour expected to remain on its present site?
THE VICE-CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:
This question concerns facilities provided at the Hung Hom Cemetery Depot.
Any member of the public can request the use of the farewell pavilion and repository at this Depot for the performance of the last rites during the hours of 8.00 a.m. to midnight, on any day of the year except Chinese New Year's day. It is the normal practice for all coffins to be placed in the repository overnight and conveyed by train to the Wo Hop Shek Cemetery the next morning.
In 1970, there were 3,412 occasions on which the public made use of the facilities provided, which are entirely free of charge.
The farewell pavilion and repository are well lit and ventilated with windows opening on all sides. It is not proposed to air-condition the premises, but electric fans are to be provided to improve the comfort of the public making use of the facilities.
On completion of the proposed new railway terminus, the existing depot will have to be moved. The Director of Lands & Survey has proposed a site at present occupied by the Cable & Wireless Station near Winslow Street, Hung Hom for this purpose. The present depot will, of course, not be demolished until new premises have been provided.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Mr. Chairman, I asked in my question to what extent is this cemetery depot or funeral parlour, non-profit making and what is the annual subsidy?
VICE-CHAIRMAN: Mr. Chairman, as I said in my reply the services provided by the depot are entirely free. I did not include any cost in my reply as it is difficult to be accurate, the last costing being made in 1969, and prices will no doubt have risen since. Also, the 1969 costing covered total cost which included transport from the depot to Wo Hop Shek cemetery and actual burial. The total cost came to $143 per burial and this was subsidized to the tune of $116 per burial; the balance of $27 being paid by relations towards part of the burial cost, registration fees, etc. If multiplied by the number of occasions in which a burial took place from Hong Kong depot this year, the total subsidy, assuming no increase in the 1969 costing, would be just under $400,000. It has not proved possible to extract the cost of the depot from overall costs. The only figure that can be given at this stage is the recurrent cost of the two caretakers employed, and an element for electricity charges. This comes to just under $18,000 per annum.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- So for practical terms, this is a free funeral parlour?
VICE-CHAIRMAN:- Yes.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Why is it, Mr. Chairman, that the English name given to this facility is "cemetery depot" while the Chinese term as I see in the papers to-day is "farewell pavilion”?
CHAIRMAN: —I would need notice of that question, Mr. CHEONG-LEEN, so that I can consult the experts.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Unless of course the name used in Chinese term today is different from the one used by Urban Services Department, but would you care to look into it and let me know?
MR. SALES: -The Commissioner for Resettlement is prepared to answer this question?
CHAIRMAN: -I need notice, Mr. SALES.
(Mr. Peter C. K. CHAN left the meeting at this point).
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public not to purchase meat from hawkers, and to add that even greater danger to the public results from buy- ing fish and shell fish from illegal hawkers. For, of the thousands of catties of food seized last year, the bulk was seafood.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, since the Urban Services Department cannot carry out its responsibilities thoroughly due to insufficient manpower available, could you draw this to the attention of the Colonial Secretariat and, if necessary, to the Governor-in- Council?
CHAIRMAN:-I shall pass the information on.
(5) MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question:·
What facilities are being provided to the general public at the Urban Council's Hung Hom Cemetery Depot or Funeral Parlour? How many funerals took place at this Ceme- tery Depot or Funeral Parlour during 1970? To what extent is this cemetery depot or funeral parlour non- profit-making and what is the annual subsidy; can it be air-conditioned in order that the service can be improved? How much longer is this cemetery depot or funeral par- lour expected to remain on its present site?
THE VICE-CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:-
This question concerns facilities provided at the Hung Hom
Cemetery Depot.
Any member of the public can request the use of the farewell pavilion and repository at this Depot for the performance of the last rites during the hours of 8.00 a.m. to midnight, on any day of the year except Chinese New Year's day. It is the normal practice for all coffins to be placed in the repository overnight and conveyed by train to the Wo Hop Shek Cemetery the next morning.
In 1970, there were 3,412 occasions on which the public made use of the facilities provided, which are entirely free of charge.
The farewell pavilion and repository are well lit and ventilated with windows opening on all sides. It is not proposed to air-condition the premises, but electric fans are to be provided to improve the comfort of the public making use of the facilities.
On completion of the proposed new railway terminus, the existing depot will have to be moved. The Director of
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
63
Lands & Survey has proposed a site at present occupied by the Cable & Wireless Station near Winslow Street, Hung Hom for this purpose. The present depot will, of course, not be demolished until new premises have been provided.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, I asked in my question to what extent is this cemetery depot or funeral parlour, non-profit mak- ing and what is the annual subsidy?
VICE-CHAIRMAN: Mr. Chairman, as I said in my reply the services provided by the depot are entirely free. I did not include any cost in my reply as it is difficult to be accurate, the last costing being made in 1969, and prices will no doubt have risen since. Also, the 1969 costing covered total cost which included transport from the depot to Wo Hop Shek cemetery and actual burial. The total cost came to $143 per burial and this was subsidized to the tune of $116 per burial; the balance of $27 being paid by relations towards part of the burial cost, registration fees, etc. If multiplied by the number of occasions in which a burial took place from Hong Kong depot this year, the total subsidy, assuming no increase in the 1969 costing, would be just under $400,000. It has not proved possible to extract the cost of the depot from overall costs. The only figure that can be given at this stage is the recurrent cost of the two caretakers employed, and an element for electricity charges. This comes to just under $18,000 per
annum.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-So for practical terms, this is a free funeral parlour?
VICE-CHAIRMAN:-Yes.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Why is it, Mr. Chairman, that the English name given to this facility is "cemetery depot" while the Chinese term as I see in the papers to-day is "farewell pavilion”?
CHAIRMAN: —I would need notice of that question, Mr. CHEONG- LEEN, so that I can consult the experts.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Unless of course the name used in Chinese term today is different from the one used by Urban Services Department, but would you care to look into it and let me know?
MR. SALES: -The Commissioner for Resettlement is prepared to answer this question?
CHAIRMAN: -I need notice, Mr. SALES.
(Mr. Peter C. K. CHAN left the meeting at this point).
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Private notes are available after approval.