FRIDAY, JULY 16, 1976
SHEUNG SHUI TANNERS MUST MOVE
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THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, SIR DENYS ROBERTS, HAS WARNED THE 55 SHEUNG SHUI TANNERIES OPERATORS THAT THE GOVERNMENT WILL CLEAR THEIR SITES IMMEDIATELY AFTER JULY 31 IF THEY HAVE NOT CLOSED DOWN AND MOVED THEIR OPERATIONS BY THEN.
IN A LETTER TO THE TANNERS REPLYING TO A PETITION THEY PRESENTED ON JULY 2, SIR DENYS HAS CONFIRMED THERE CAN BE NO POSTPONEMENT OF THE JULY 31 DEADLINE FOR THE TANNERIES REMOVAL.
SIR DENYS SAID: THE GOVERNMENT HAS MADE IT CLEAR ON MANY OCCASIONS THAT THE MAIN REASONS FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE TANNERIES FROM SHEUNG SHUI ARE THE NEED TO ELIMINATE A SOURCE OF GROSS AND UNACCEPTABLE POLLUTION, AND TO MAKE AVAILABLE A LARGE AREA ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE GROWING TOWN OF SHEUNG SHUI FOR DEVELOPMENT,
+GOVERNMENT HAS ACCEPTED FOR MANY YEARS THAT IT IS NOT PRACTICABLE TO REDUCE THE POLLUTION TO AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL SO LONG AS THE TANNERIES REMAIN AT THEIR PRESENT SITES, AND THAT THE ONLY POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM WAS THE REMOVAL OF THE TANNERIES OPERATIONS TO A PROPERLY DESIGNATED OFFENSIVE TRADES AREA, WHERE THE TRADE COULD BE CARRIED OUT IN MODERN BUILDINGS WITH EFFECTIVE MEANS OF EFFLUENT TREATMENT. +
SIR DENYS POINTED OUT THAT THE CROWN RE-ENTERED THE LOTS ON WHICH THE TANNERIES ARE SITUATED EARLY IN 1972, WHEN THE OPERATORS WERE TOLD THEY WOULD HAVE TO MOVE FROM SHEUNG SHUI.
+HOWEVER, AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION OF YOUR REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF REMOVAL ON YOUR BUSINESSES AND YOUR WORKERS, THE GOVERNMENT AGREED THAT, PROVIDED YOU ACQUIRED LAND IN THE OFFENSIVE TRADES ZONE AT KWAI CHUNG, YOU WOULD BE PERMITTED TO REMAIN AT SHEUNG SHUI FOR A REASONABLE PERIOD TO ENABLE YOU TC DEVELOP THESE NEW LOTS.
+YOU WERE GIVEN POSSESSION OF THE LOTS AT KWAI CHUNG IN MAY, 1974, AND WERE INFORMED THAT THE DEADLINE FOR FINAL REMOVAL FROM SHEUNG SHUI WAS JULY 31, 1976.+
SIR DENYS ALSO REFERRED TO THE OPERATORS' CLAIMS THAT THE LOTS THEY PURCHASED AT KWAI CHUNG WERE NOT LARGE ENOUGH FOR THEIR PURPOSES.
HE SAID : + I WOULD REMIND YOU THAT YOU YOURSELVES DECIDED ON THE AREAS WHICH YOU WISHED TO ACQUIRE.
+MOREOVER, I UNDERSTAND THAT ALL FIVE CONSORTIA OBTAINED APPROVAL FROM THE BUILDING AUTHORITY MORE THAN ONE YEAR AGO FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF MULTI-STOREY FACTORY BUILDINGS, AND I AM
INFORMED THAT CONSTRUCTION WORK ON ONE OF THE BUILDINGS HAS BEGUN RECENTLY.
/+IT WAS
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