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to ask their friends to come forward, if they have life-saving qualifications.
In addition to permanent and temporary paid Urban Services Department lifeguards, the Hong Kong Life Guard Club provides volunteer lifeguards on Saturdays afternoons and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. The St. John Ambulance Brigade also provides volunteers to augment U.S.D. lifeguards engaged on first-aid duties over the weekends. This year, the Hong Kong Life Guard Club has promised 5 lifeguards each for both Victoria Park and Kowloon Tsai for Saturdays, and 10 at each pool (in two shifts) on Sundays. At Morse Park, the figures are 7 and 14. The St. John Ambulance Brigade is providing 2 first-aid volunteers at each of the pools on Saturday afternoons, and 4 (in two shifts) at each pool on Sundays. Because the peak season is about to start, the department is approaching the Hong Kong Life Guard Club to see if volunteers can also be spared during the week, as well as weekends. This approach may however prove abortive, as it is likely that members of that Club who are not employed during the week, such as students, will have already responded to the department's advertisement for temporary paid lifeguards.
MR. BERNACCHI:- After Mr. SALES' long answer may I draw your attention, Mr. Chairman, to the tapping noise that has been going on for the last ten minutes?
MR. SALES:- Mr. Chairman, I would also like you to restrain your staff from drafting very long answers for me to read.
DR. HUANG:- Mr. Chairman, Mr. SALES has admitted that the reply was actually drafted by your staff. Now I went to the Kowloon Tsai Swimming Pool and I talked to several people.
CHAIRMAN:- Are you asking a supplementary?
DR. HUANG:- Yes, I am asking a supplementary, that's right. And from the impression I got that purely because they are short of staff and I wonder if it is any use to have more doors that is a suggestion made by the staff so I hope Mr. SALES will look into the matter because you see there are only two entrances there and they have more than 10,000 people on weekday or holidays. If you only have two turnstiles it is simply impossible, people must queue up for hours and the second part, will I only say that life is most precious and I only wish Mr. SALES would keep on pressing Government.
Thank you.
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MR. SALES:- Thank you, Mr. Chairman, in reply to the first part we would certainly try to have more turnstiles but that would mean more staff. We cannot have turnstiles unless we have the staff to man them properly and if you would like to take up the point which Dr. HUANG has made I would be most grateful.
MR. FORSGATE: Mr. Chairman, I notice in your June report that the attendance at the Kowloon Tsai is down 54,000 people in June some 40%. Does that seem rather significant, is that because of the Park conditions? Seems a remarkable reduction in a month.
CHAIRMAN:- I am afraid I am not able to give an answer to that one off the cuff but Dr. HUANG'S point is taken from the answer that new entrances are not the answer. The question is that there isn't room inside for any more.
MR. BERNACCHI:- Mr. Chairman, I think that I can give the answer to Mr. FORSGATE'S point. There were examinations in June and attendances at all such parks, pools, etc., and beaches fell off during June.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, no doubt Mr. BERNACCHI's newly acquired parental responsibilities enabled him to answer this question but it is due to the fact that Morse Park is now in commission and so if the statistics are studied a good part of the attendance that has fallen off presumably at Kowloon Tsai has gone over to Morse Park nearby.
MR. RAYMOND Y. K. KAN:- Mr. Chairman, about this shortage of staff is it possible to ask the U.S.D. permanent staff to work longer hours or overtime and then in return they get their days off in winter time or in the weekdays. I just wonder if that is practical?
CHAIRMAN: We can look into this, Mr. KAN, but the problem of giving days off of course is normal practice.
DR. HUANG:- Mr. Chairman, I disagree with your answer as long queue is only because there are there is no space inside because if there are only two turnstiles how can you admit thousands of people within an hour or two because it is purely lack of entrances?
MR. FORSGATE:- As a well-known turnstile operator, Mr. Chairman, I can assure you that you can get a lot of people in a short time through two turnstiles.
(15) MR. KENNETH T. C. Lo asked the following question:-
What measures are taken by U.S.D. personnel to clear litter and refuse from bathing beaches and what action is U.S.D. personnel instructed to take if they see people depositing litter or otherwise dirtying beaches?
Page 91 of 242
Page 91 of 242
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to ask their friends to come forward, if they have life- saving qualifications.
In addition to permanent and temporary paid Urban Services Department lifeguards, the Hong Kong Life Guard Club provides volunteer lifeguards on Saturdays afternoons and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. The St. John Ambulance Brigade also provides volunteers to augment U.S.D. lifeguards engaged on first-aid duties over the weekends. This year, the Hong Kong Life Guard Club has promised 5 lifeguards each for both Victoria Park and Kowloon Tsai for Saturdays, and 10 at each pool (in two shifts) on Sundays. At Morse Park, the figures are 7 and 14. The St. John Ambulance Brigade is providing 2 first-aid volunteers at each of the pools on Saturday afternoons, and 4 (in two shifts) at each pool on Sundays. Because the peak season is about to start, the department is approaching the Hong Kong Life Guard Club to see if volunteers can also be spared during the week, as well as weekends. This approach may however prove abortive, as it is likely that members of that Club who are not employed during the week, such as students, will have already responded to the department's advertisement for temporary paid life guards.
MR. BERNACCHI:-After Mr. SALES' long answer may 1 draw your attention, Mr. Chairman, to the tapping noise that has been going on for the last ten minutes?
MR. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, I would also like you to restrain your staff from drafting very long answers for me to read.
DR. HUANG-Mr. Chairman, Mr. SALES has admitted that the reply was actually drafted by your staff. Now I went to the Kowloon Tsai Swimming Pool and I talked to several people .
CHAIRMAN:---Are you asking a supplementary?
DR. HUANG:-Yes, I am asking a supplementary, that's right. And from the impression I got that purely because they are short of staff and I wonder if it is any use to have more doors that is a sugges- tion made by the staff so I hope Mr. SALES will look into the matter because you see there are only two entrances there and they have more than 10,000 people on weekday or holidays. If you only have two turnstiles it is simply impossible, people must queue up for hours and the second part, will I only say that life is most precious and I only
Thank you. wish Mr. SALES would keep on pressing Government.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
163
MR. SALES:-Thank you, Mr. Chairman, in reply to the first part we would certainly try to have more turnstiles but that would mean more staff. We cannot have turnstiles unless we have the staff to man them properly and if you would like to take up the point which Dr. HUANG has made I would be most grateful.
MR. FORSGATE: Mr. Chairman, I notice in your June report that the attendance at the Kowloon Tsai is down 54,000 people in June some 40%. Does that seem rather significant, is that because of the Park conditions? Seems a remarkable reduction in a month.
CHAIRMAN:-I am afraid I am not able to give an answer to that one off the cuff but Dr. HUANG'S point is taken from the answer that new entrances are not the answer. The question is that there isn't room inside for any more.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Mr. Chairman, I think that I can give the answer, to Mr. FORSGATE'S point. There were examinations in June and attendances at all such parks, pools, etc., and beaches fell off during June.
MR. SALES: Mr. Chairman, no doubt Mr. BERNACCHI's newly acquired parental responsibilities enabled him to answer this question but it is due to the fact that Morse Park is now in commission and so if the statistics are studied a good part of the attendance that has fallen off presumably at Kowloon Tsai has gone over to Morse Park nearby.
MR. RAYMOND Y. K. KAN:-Mr. Chairman, about this shortage of staff is it possible to ask the U.S.D. permanent staff to work longer hours or overtime and then in return they get their days off in winter time or in the weekdays. I just wonder if that is practical?
CHAIRMAN: We can look into this, Mr. KAN, but the problem of giving days off of course is normal practice.
DR. HUANG:--Mr. Chairman, I disagree with your answer as long queue is only because there are there is no space inside because if there are only two turnstiles how can you admit thousands of people within an hour or two because it is purely lack of entrances?
MR. FORSGATE:-As a well-known turnstile operator, Mr. Chair- man, I
can assure you that you can get a lot of people in a short time through two turnstiles.
(15) MR. KENNETH T. C. Lo asked the following question:-
What measures are taken by U.S.D. personnel to clear litter and refuse from bathing beaches and what action is U.S.D. personnel instructed to take if they see people depositing litter or otherwise dirtying beaches?
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