1972 — Page 152

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

cern of the P.W.D. and not of this Council. I simply cannot accept this. My question was prompted by personal observations of the seawall sewage pipe at the end of Watson Road, North Point. This instrument of sanitation is exposed at low water, and the pollutive effect of its discharge is clearly evident in the very unfragrant waters. Small boys swim in these waters from the adjacent causeway. Sampans fish amongst the filth, and rats are common-place around the open pipe at low-water mark.

in that area.

Is this a healthy situation? What has happened to the policy, declared two years ago in this Chamber, of discharging through diffuser outfalls into the main tidal streams? How many similar discharge points are operating around our Harbour limits, and when can we expect some action on this situation?

Equally, I am not convinced that the present methods of street cleansing and garbage collection are as modern or as efficient as one would expect a progressive city such as Hong Kong. I find it difficult to condemn the apparent carelessness of ordinary citizens, for instance in Resettlement Estates, when the systems of collection and cleansing are primitive and out-moded. We have insufficient mechanized road sweepers, and I believe we have need for more high-powered trucks with greater capacity, perhaps container-type vehicles, to remove heavy concentration of garbage speedily from highly populated areas. Furthermore, there is new equipment to be looked at, such as engine-powered, vacuum sweepers which are widely used elsewhere and should replace the slow-moving, broomstick and hand-cart which form the basis of our present (inadequate) street-sweeping endeavours.

I have heard the arguments about Hong Kong's narrow streets, dense traffic, car parking problems, etc. I am not impressed. I suggest that we should bring in overseas experts to have a look at our cleansing problems with a fresh eye.

"Keep Hong Kong Clean" Campaign

My comments on Environmental Hygiene would be incomplete without a reference to the "Clean-up Hong Kong" Campaign. If the object of this exercise is to alert the public to the desirability of a clean environment, then, I believe, we are succeeding. If the public has difficulty in finding receptacles for their garbage in convenient collection points, this fault is ours and not theirs. I believe that this Campaign, to which Dr. Denny HUANG has lent tremendous personal efforts, will succeed because it is the will of the public that it should, and that cleaner conditions should prevail.

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

There are two points I would briefly make on this subject:

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Firstly, it is a sad aspect of the Campaign that, through fear of prosecution, several hundred dogs have been surrendered to the Hong Kong Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for destruction. Also, most noticeable has been the tremendous increase in stray dogs in all parts of the Colony. The apparent lack of real effort to remove these unfortunate animals from our streets again illustrates the inability of the Agriculture and Fisheries Department to handle the problem. I suggest that the Dog-catching units be transferred immediately to the Urban Services' control and re-organized into an efficient body. Secondly, this Campaign has exposed appalling neglect in garbage disposal in various areas of the New Territories. Thousands of tons of litter have accumulated in unofficial dumps, many of which seem to lie in ditches and streams alongside the Kowloon Canton Railway, particularly in the Sheung Shui and Fanling districts. Returning from a recent visit to Canton, I was appalled by the unbelievable filth on the Hong Kong side, and embarrassed by the comparisons drawn by overseas business visitors on conditions on each side of the border. I believe something is now being done, but dare I add that these appalling conditions would never have arisen if this Council's super-vision had also extended to New Territories cleansing.

Recreation and Amenities

Recreational amenities are closely associated with the "quality of life" we are now intent on raising.

We are essentially a tightly-knit territory with easy access only to limited and, generally, over-crowded areas. Where do our people find facilities for open-air activities easily accessible to their homes? Happily, the Jockey Club has provided us with several swimming pools of excellent standards, which give enjoyment to hundreds of thousands of people in the peak summer months and will provide us soon with a huge Oceanarium. Happily, the Recreation and Amenities Select Committee under the superb, if sometimes irritatingly efficient leadership of my distinguished colleague, Mr. A. de O. SALES, has prompted, bullied and cajoled Government to an extent that we have developed an impressive range of recreational facilities around the Colony.

Nevertheless, are we providing effectively for this improvement in the quality of life? Where can the average citizen take his family during weekends and public holidays? Suddenly, our beaches are crowded and becoming less attractive through pollution of our waters. Travel over any distance is a hardship better avoided. Parks are scarce with few attractions-perhaps with the notable exception of

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