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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1977'
FOUR COUNTRY PARKS TO BE DESIGNATED EACH YEAR
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THE GOVERNMENT PLANS TO DESIGNATE 16 MORE COUNTRY PARKS FOUR EACH YEAR - ERING ING THE TOTAL TO ABOUT 20 IN THE NEXT FOUR YEARS COVERING VIRTUALLY ALL THE OPEN COUNTRYSIDE EACH WITH ITS OWN MANAGEMENT BUILDINGS AND STAFF, THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE SAID TODAY.
SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF THE NEW LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SESSION, SIR MURRAY SAID, +RE MUST KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THIS PROGRAMME TO ENSURE THAT SPEED IS MAINTAINED AND THAT ARRANGEMENTS ARE NOT ONLY ADEQUATE TO DEAL WITH THE VERY LARGE NUMBERS OF THE PUEL IC TO BE EXPECTED, BUT SHOW THE IMAGINATION AND ORIGINALITY THAT THE LOCATION OF THESE PARKS REQUIRES.+
HE DESCRIBED THE CROWING USE OF THE COUNTRYSIDE AS ANOTHER IMPORTANT SOURCE OF RECREATION.
ON THE PROVISION OF LEISURE, HE SAID THIS WAS A COMPARATIVELY NEW CONCEPT FOR GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY IN HONG KONG, BUT WITH THE AFFLUENCE AND MORE HOLIDAYS, THE NEED FOR
IT HAD GROWN WITH REMARKABLE SPEED.
TURNING TO YOUTH AND RECREATION ACTIVITIES, SIR MURRAY SAID IT WAS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT TO ORGANISE ACTIVITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE BECAUSE HALF OF OUR POPULATION IS UNDER 25 AND 1.47 MILLION ARE BETWEEN THE AGES OF SIX AND 21.
+WE ESTIMATE THAT ABOUT ONE THIRD OF ALL YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE AGE GROUP OF SIX TO 21 ARE TAKING PART IN SOME FORM OF ORGANISED YOUTH CR RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY, OTHER THAN SCHOOL ACTIVITIES.
+AND OF COURSE, THERE ARE VERY MANY OTHERS WHO DO SO ON A LESS REGULAR BASIS, SIR MURRAY SAID.
ON CULTURAL ACTIVITIES, HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT AND THE URBAN COUNCIL WERE ENCOURAGING AND PROMOTING THIS NEW AND VERY HEALTHY TREND.
+MUSCULAR ACTIVITY IS NOT FOR EVERYONE OR FOR ANYONE ALL THE TIME,
AND THE SPEED WITH WHICH RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES HAVE DEVELOPED IN RECENT YEARS HAS BEEN PARALLELED BY A SURGE OF
INTEREST IN THE ARTS.
HE SAID THE MAJOR LACK LAS OF SUITABLE AUDITORIA, HOWEVER, HE POINTED OUT THAT THOSE OF SIMILAR SIZE TO THE CITY HALL WOULD BE COMPLETED IN TSUEN WAN, TUEN HUN AND SHATIN BY 1979, 1980/81 AND 1982/83 RESPECTIVELY AND A LARGE CONCERT HALL AND THEATRE WOULD BE COMPLETED IN THE TS IM SHA TSUI CULTURAL COMPLEX BY 1981/82.
/+WE ALL
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