Advice on Development Schemes
7.40. Planning advice was given on 409 development projects of which 298 were in the New Territories. These figures compare with 102 and 42 respectively last year and 132 and 42 in 1967-68.
Liaison
7.41. The Branch was represented on numerous sub-committees in connection with the work of the Housing Board, the Kwai Chung Container Terminal and the 1971 Census of Housing and Population. A circular listing all planning schemes, most of which can be purchased on application to the Cartographer, was issued quarterly to departments, public utilities companies and certain non-Government organizations.
Staff
STAFF, TRAINING AND WELFARE
7.42. The total authorized establishment amounted to 848 persons, an increase of 6 over the previous year. The office continued to recruit professional survey staff for the New Territories Administration and the Civil Engineering and Highways Offices.
7.43. Four Estate Surveyors, one Land Surveyor and one Planning Officer were appointed on contract during the year. Two locally qualified Assistant Estate Surveyors were promoted to Estate Surveyor and one Surveying Assistant (Land) was promoted to Assistant Land Surveyor. Two Assistant Planning Officers were recruited locally. One Estate Surveyor and one Planning Officer left Government service on completion of their contract and one Land Surveyor resigned during the year. At the end of the year, five vacancies existed for Estate Surveyors (plus 2 more on the Establishment of the New Territories Administration), four for Land Surveyors, and two for Planning Officers.
Training
7.44. Surveying Assistants (Engineering, Estate, Land and Planning) are mostly young men with the appropriate academic qualifications, often recruited immediately after leaving school. Joining the service initially at Class III level, they attend a comprehensive course in land survey and thereafter the Engineering and Land streams are attached to various functional survey sections for field and practical experience for a period of 12 months, whilst the Estate and Planning streams...
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