ENG-1957 — Page 203

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HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT

During the year considerable progress was made in the revision both of the substantive law under which the Council operates and of the supporting by-laws. The third draft of a new Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance was under consideration by the Law Revision Select Committee of the Council at the end of the year, and the revision of some of the subsidiary legislation had been completed.

The Urban Services Department has two main sub- divisions, one dealing with sanitation and certain aspects of public health, the other dealing with parks, playgrounds and gardens. The establishment of the Sanitary Division includes 219 administrative, professional and technical officers and 5,969 other workers, including a health inspec- torate of 213 officers, 165 of whom have passed the Royal Society of Health examination for public health inspectors, and 48 probationer inspectors under training. The work of the Gardens Division is described in Chapter 21.

The continued expansion of the Colony in 1957, both in terms of population and of building development; neces- sitated a corresponding increase in buildings and staff and in the range of their activities. Building works in progress for the department during the year were estimated to cost in the region of $12,000,000, whilst proposals costing a further $5,800,000 had received approval but could not for various reasons be proceeded with immediately. Projects in hand or completed during the year included the New Yau Ma Tei Market, various buildings in the Victoria Park, including the Colony's first public swimming pool, develop- ment of the Wo Hop Shek Cemetery, new departmental buildings at the site known as Whitfield in Causeway Bay and at Sai Yee Street in Kowloon, and the new Colonial Cemetery and Crematorium. In addition, progress was made on minor works such as public latrines and bathhouses.

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The increase in establishment approved in April 1957 amounted to some 560 posts. In the main these were fore- men (68), gangers (35) and sanitary coolies (297). The