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WEDNESDAY, JULY 31. 1974
CONVERSION OF TAXI METERS
COMPLETION EXPECTED IN TWO MONTHS
******
THE ACTING SECRETARY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, THE HON. A.T. ARMSTRONG-WRIGHT, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY THAT THE CONVERSION OF ALL TAXI METERS IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED AT THE LATEST IN TWO MONTHS' TIME.
IN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON. JAMES UU, HR. ARMSTRONG- WRIGHT SAID THAT THE METERS, OF VIRTUALLY ALL FORMER HONG KONG TAXIS, HAD BEEN RE-CALIBRATED, TESTED AND SEALED TO REGISTER THE NEW FARES.
+HOWEVER,+ HE ADDED, +SOME FORMER KOULOON TAXIS HAVE YET TO BE RE-CALIBRATED. THE NUMBER OF THESE IS QUICKLY DUINDLING BECAUSE NO TAXI CAN PASS THE REGULAR SIX-ONTHLY INSPECTION BY THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT UNLESS ITS METER HAS BEEN RE-CALIBRATED.+
CAREFUL WATCH KEPT ON SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS SITUATION · ******
THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT IS KEEPING A CAREFUL WATCH ON THE SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS SITUATION, THE AIM BEING TO ENSURE THAT PUPILS USE EDUCATIONALLY ACCEPTABLE TEXTBOOKS AT A REASONABLE COST, THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, THE HON. JOHN CANNING TOLD THE LEGISLAT- IVE COUNCIL TODAY.
+IN THIS CONNECTION, HEADS OF SCHOOLS WILL BE INFORMED THAT WHERE THE ALTERATIONS IN A NEW EDITION OF A TEXTBOOK ARE OF A MINOR NATURE, THEY SHOULD TOLERATE THE USE OF AN OLDER EDITION
IN THE CLASSROOM, WITH THE TEACHERS MAKING APPROPRIATE ALTERATIONS TO THE TEXT IN THE COURSE OF A LESSON.
+SCHOOL AUTHORITIES WILL ALSO BE ENCOURAGED TO ORGANISE SECOND-HAND BOOK SALES BY PUPILS ON SCHOOL PREMISES,+ HE SAID.
MR. CANNING WAS REPLYING TO THE HON. LO TAK-SHING WHO ASKED: +IS THE GOVERNMENT SATISFIED THAT TEXTBOOKS RECOMMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME FOR USE BY STUDENTS ARE NOT AMENDED UNNECESSARILY OR TOO FREQUENTLY THUS DENYING THE SAYINGS THAT STUDENTS CAN HAKE BY USING SECOND HAND COPIES.+
THE DIRECTOR SAID IT WAS TRUE TO SAY THAT IN PAST YEARS PUBLISHERS HAD MADE FREQUENT AMENDMENTS TO THEIR TEXTBOOKS. THIS HAD RESULTED IN DIFFICULTIES IN THE USE OF SECOND-HAND TEXTBOOKS.
+MY DEPARTMENT HAS IN THE PAST MADE REPRESENTATIONS TO PUBLISHERS ON THIS POINT AND I AM HAPPY TO SAY THAT THE NUMBER OF MINOR TEXTUAL AMENDMENTS HAS BEEN CONSIDERABLY REDUCED OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS,+ KR. CANNING SAID.
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