TUESDAY, JULY 31, 1979.
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TWO DISTRICT OFFICES FOR TAI PO
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THE DEVELOPMENT IN THE TAI PO DISTRICT, IS PROGRESSING AT SUCH A RAPID PACE THAT FROM OCTOBER THIS YEAR THERE WILL BE TWO DISTRICT OFFICES TO SERVE THE GROWING POPULATION, THE SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR. DAVID AKERS-JONES SAID TODAY (TUESDAY).
MR. AKERS-JONES MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT WHEN OFFICIATING AT THE OPENING OF THE TAI PO GOVERNMENT OFFICE BUILDING AT TING KOK ROAD.
JOINING THE SECRETARY IN THE RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY WERE THE CHAIRMAN OF THE HEUNG YEE KUK, MR. STEPHEN WONG AND THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SAI KUNG NORTH RURAL COMMITTEE, MR. WONG CHUN-WAI, WHO WAS ASSISTED BY THE TAI PO DISTRICT OFFICER, MR. PETER JOHNSON.
IN HIS OPENING REMARKS MR. AKERS-JONES SAID THE BUILDING OF COMPOSITE OFFICE IN TAI PO TO REPLACE THE OLD OFFICE ON THE HILL WAS FIRST PROPOSED 16 YEARS AGO.
+ALTHOUGH IT HAS TAKEN A LONG TIME TO ASSUME A CONCRETE REALITY. NEVERTHELESS I AM SURE THAT THE NEW BUILDING WILL SERVE THE DISTRICT WELL AND THAT IT HAS BEEN WORTH THE LONG WAIT, HE SAID.
MOREOVER, MR, AKERS-JONES SAID, THE BUILDING IS READY AT AN INTERESTING DEVELOPMENT IN TAI PO DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION.
*WHEN THIS BUILDING WAS FIRST CONCEIVED THE TAI PO DISTRICT HAD A POPULATION OF ABOUT 110,000,
+NOW THE POPULATION IS APPROACHING 200,000 AND PRIVATE AND PUBLIC EXPANSION DURING THE NEXT FOUR YEARS WILL ADD ANOTHER 50,000 TO THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN TAI PO TOWN ALONE,+ HE ADDED.
MR. AKERS-JONES SAID SIMILAR DEVELOPMENT WAS TAKING PLACE AT FANLING AND SHEUNG SHUI WHERE PILING FOR THE FIRST PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATE FOR 30,000 WOULD SOON BEGIN,
+BECAUSE OF THIS, FROM THE BEGINNING OF OCTOBER THERE WILL BE TWO DISTRICT OFFICÉS, ONE TO SERVE THE NOTHERN HALF OF THE DISTRICT AND THE OTHER, TAI PO AND ITS ENVIRONS.·
BUILT AT A COST OF $12.9 MILLION, THE FIVE-STOREY BUILDING IS THE FIRST MULTI-PURPOSE GOVERNMENT BUILDING IN EASTERN NEW TERRITORIES WITH A TOTAL FLOOR AREA OF 8,900 SQUARE METRES.
+FROM TODAY, TOO, THERE WILL BE A NEW POST OFFICE AND MARRIAGE REGISTRY- AND WHAT COULD BE MORE APPROPRIATE THAT THE ARCHITECT FOR THE BUILDING AND HIS BRIDE WILL BE THE FIRST COUPLE TO BE MARRIED IN THE NEW BUILDING, MR. AKERS-JONES SAID.
+THIS THEN IS A HISTORIC DAY IN MORE SENSES THAN ONE.
APART FROM THE TAI PO DISTRICT OFFICE, THE MARRIAGE REGISTRY AND THE NEW POST OFFICE, THE NEW BUILDING ALSO ACCOMMODATES BRANCHES OF 10 OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS INCLUDING THE NEW TERRITORIES SERVICES DEPARTMENT, THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT, AND THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
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