8
PROGRESS
but also to ensure that these amenities and attractions were known overseas. It has been the rapid and world-wide acknowledgement of Hong Kong as one of the most exciting modern tourist centres that has created a great need for more and still more hotel accom- modation. In 1968 there were approximately 6,000 hotel rooms which, on a few occasions, were unable to cope with the booming demand. However, there was firm promise towards the end of the year of the early availability of two more hotels, and consideration was being given by developers to the building of others.
BUILDING THE FUTURE
A substantial part of the annual expenditure of public funds went on the building of homes, schools, roads, bridges, water supplies, new town developments and public buildings. The sum of $365 million which was being spent in 1968-9, though large in itself, does not give a true picture of the immensity of public works which were under way. Projects totalling $4,000 million were in the public works programme during 1968; of this amount $2,000 million had already been spent and the remainder will be spent over the next four to five years. There were no less than 400 different projects under construction while government engineers and architects were busily designing another 200.
There was a wide variety of completed developments of which five typically disparate examples are worthy of mention. The 2,600- foot Lai Chi Kok bridge was finished, providing a link from north west Kowloon across Lai Chi Kok bay to meet the new fast six-lane coastal road to Kwai Chung, Tsuen Wan and the western New Territories. In Tolo Harbour, the 37,000 million gallon Plover Cove reservoir, which is three times the size of all the other Colony reservoirs put together, came into full service. At Kennedy Town a new, modern $30 million abattoir became operational. This complex included a wholesale livestock market and quarantine service. In the New Territories a Fire Services Training School, which is the largest of its kind in South-East Asia, was opened and put into service. The new town of Tsuen Wan received its first large sports arena, complete with running track and football field. Such was the variety of achievements in 1968 and, as the watchful can see from large display boards set up on many sites throughout