16
PROGRESS
effort in both the urban areas and among farmers and fishermen of the New Territories.
The New Territories had a busy year which saw the election of a new Heung Yee Kuk (or Rural Consultative Council). In February the outgoing chairman of the Kuk and three other prominent members made a goodwill tour around England visiting various towns to see many of the 30,000 New Territories residents who are in Britain, mainly in the restaurant business. The remittances of these folk play a great part in the welfare and prosperity of the families who remain behind in Hong Kong. The Government not only sponsored this visit and provided a senior officer to accompany it, but also began the circulation of a free weekly newspaper con- taining a digest of news from Hong Kong, particularly from the New Territories. Subsequently another officer studied the needs of Hong Kong's own expatriates in Britain and his report was put under study.
Good progress was made in the building up of a system of public roads, drainage, schools and community centres in the New Terri- tories as well as of village amenities such as playgrounds, latrines, footpaths and water supplies. While the major engineering projects were undertaken by the Public Works Department, each District Office supervised the more local items. This year each District Officer had much willing help, financial and physical, from units of the 48 Gurkha Brigade stationed in the New Territories. An Army Information Unit paid regular visits to remote villages to provide cinema entertainment and technical first aid otherwise unavailable. Urban dwellers who may occasionally see large cere- monial parades or individual soldiers in mufti forget that military units and sub-units can make relationships of good friendship and mutual help with the country people among whom they encamp and train. It was typical that when a spectators' stand collapsed, to mar a tattoo held at Sek Kong in November (an accident for which a Commission of Inquiry was set up), the New Territories inhabitants were readiest to express sympathy with the army in their misfortune. The Hong Kong Police Force increased its coverage of the more remote parts to lend a greater sense of security to villag- ers who are, by virtue of geography, less able to call for help when it is required. It was steps such as these which ensured that each New Territories farmer, fisherman, housewife and child was kept