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SCMP Reporter

Q Should the site of the Central police quarters be preserved?

It will be a huge shame to have yet another tall tower of apartments built around the Hollywood Road area. Besides cramming even more people into an already congested area, the character of Hollywood Road (which is already tarnished  by the canyon effect now) would be irreparably damaged.

It is this charm that attracts tourists to  Hollywood Road.

The fundamental problem is that the government is out of touch with the public and too fixated on short-term revenue generated from land sales.

This always makes me wonder, if the government  ran New York city, they would have sold all the land in Central Park to maximise their revenue but what would it leave for the people of New York?

Name and address supplied

Q Would flexible working help

Hong Kong women?

Flexible working would not only  help women, it would help Hong Kong in ways you cannot even imagine.

Let me tell you a true story.

Some years ago, a  teacher in our school  resigned because she was given a class that made her feel her life was being wasted. Students were inattentive and not handing in their assignments. Furthermore, at home, her two  children were growing up  without proper parental attention.

When her first born was still too young for kindergarten, she  discovered the child was constantly being fed instant noodles for lunch and left in front of the television to entertain herself.

The bad class was actually a blessing. It helped her to make up her mind to quit. And she did.

She felt  she was better off doing something good for her kids.

The principal  invited her to take on two junior classes as a part-time teaching assistant.  The salary was much lower  although the work was no  easier.

At least she could spend her mornings  with her son while she marked the students'  work.

She now has time to give quality teaching to her two classes and  help out her own children before tests and exams. She even gets to tell them  bedtime stories. The cherry on the top was when she was cited as an exemplary teacher by the Education and Manpower Bureau and her teaching practice was videotaped and sent to every school. Her experience was shared and benefited  many.

So, would flexible working hours help Hong Kong women? No need to ask! Bosses, what are you waiting for?

Name and address supplied

On other matters...

After reading the article 'Tearful public housing tenant forced from flat' (November 22), it seems that the Housing Authority is trying to  warn everyone who lives in public housing estates that they must abide by the regulations.   But, even though the neighbour said he saw Kwan Ching  almost every day, the man and his wife were evicted. The Housing Authority spokeswoman said the investigation  had showed the couple  had not lived in the flat for about three years.

I'm shocked that the  authority was so strict and reckless about tackling this case.

Why didn't they  consider the possibility that the couple were away at work and did not spend much time at home?  The most important thing is that the couple hadn't violated the rules. The reason for their eviction is  uncivilised because the authority has no  proof that they  were not living in the flat.

The Housing Authority may have wanted to send a message that it  will not tolerate any tenants  breaking the rules.  However,  such severe action may have a negative impact.

Stephen Fu Ho-shing,

Kowloon Tong

I refer the article 'High allergy rates in children tied to lack of breastfeeding' (November 23), which mentions that environmental factors such as dust mites and allergens from food were also found to be common causes of allergies among children in urban areas.

I am sure parents would be interested in the results any research into the impact of long-term exposure to Hong Kong's polluted air on local children (and babies, who are more susceptible to developing allergies) in terms of allergies as well as other health concerns.

While not all children are exposed to the same kind and the same amounts of allergens from food, we can be quite certain that all children in Hong Kong, and more so for those living in urban areas, are exposed to highly polluted  air.

While mothers can  breastfeed to protect their babies from other allergies, they cannot save their children from the bad air.

K Y Lau, Aberdeen

I refer to Kevin Sinclair's article on  November 23 about the proposal to remove the barrier gate at Pak Tam Chung.

I would like to point out that the barrier has lamentably become much more porous over the last 10 years.

While it used to be possible to walk around High Island Reservoir unperturbed by traffic, you now have to step aside for vehicles so often that it just isn't worth it any more.

This is not to say that we might as well remove the barrier anyway - it still seems to provide some hindrance.

Mr Sinclair touched on another reason for the blighting of the New Territories: the exceptional rights of so-called indigenous villagers.

I was born in Pokfulam but I don't have the right to build a three-storey house with a 700 sq ft footprint there. Why should anyone else be any different? These exceptional rights aren't good for the countryside, and they aren't good for the  villagers either, as they breed a culture of dependency.

Torquil Macleod, Happy Valley



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