SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1980
TANNERIES IN FACTORY BUILDINGS
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TANNERS CLEARED FROM SHEUNG SHUI IN 1976 TO MAKE WAY FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE AREA HAVE RE-ESTABLISHED THEMSELVES IN MULTI- STOREY FACTORY BUILDINGS IN THE OFFENSIVE TRADES ZONE IN KWAI CHUNG.
TWO TANNERY BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN CONSTRUCTED TO DATE AND NOW HOUSE A TOTAL OF 28 TANNING COMPANIES, THE MAJORITY OF WHOM CAME FROM SHEUNG SHUI.
THE TANNERS OBTAINED THE LAND FROM THE GOVERNMENT EITHER BY SURRENDERING LAND EXCHANGE ENTITLEMENTS OR THROUGH PRIVATE TREATY GRANTS.
THE CHIEF ESTATE SURVEYOR, TSUEN WAN DISTRICT OFFICE, MR TIM MILLS, SAID THE BUILDINGS WERE DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE TANNERY INDUSTRY.
HE SAID ONE REASON FOR THE REMOVAL FROM SHEUNG SHUI, APART FROM THE LAND BEING REQUIRED FOR A NEW TOWN, HAD BEEN THE HEAVY POLLUTION BEING CAUSED TO THE AREA THROUGH OPERATION OF TANNERIES.
+THE COMPANIES AT KWAI CHUNG HAVE INSTALLED THE MOST UP-TO-DATE EFFLUENT CONTROL EQUIPMENT TO MINIMISE POLLUTION, + HE SAID. +AS A RESULT, THE LEVEL OF POLLUTION AT KWAI CHUNG IS VERY MUCH LOWER THAN AT SHEUNG SHUI.+
MR MILLS SAID TANNERS WERE PLEASED WITH THE IR NEW SURROUNDINGS, IN COMPARISON WITH THE SITES THEY OCCUPIED AT SHEUNG SHUT.
THEY PREFERRED THE BETTER WORKING ENVIRONMENT AND PRODUCTIVITY HAD INCREASED, HE SAID.
HE SAID THEY HAD ALSO BEEN ABLE TO IMPROVE QUALITY CONTROL DUE TO A METERED WATER SUPPLY AND THERE HAD BEEN SAVINGS IN TRANSPORT COSTS.
FURTHERMORE, THE SITES WERE CONVENIENTLY LOCATED CLOSE TO URBAN AREAS.
THE HEAD OF A TANNERY CONSORTIA IS MR PAK YIU, WHO WAS FORMERLY IN BUSINESS IN SHEUNG SHUI. HE SAID HE AND HIS PARTNERS WERE OPERATING FROM ONE OF THE TWO NEW BUILDINGS. HE SAID THE 20-STOREY BUILDING WAS USING THE MOST UP-TO-DATE ANTI-POLLUTION SYSTEM FROM EUROPE COSTING NEARLY $2 MILLION.
THE OTHER BUILDING OF 11 STOREYS HAS AN EFFLUENT CONTROL SYSTEM WHICH WAS PURCHASED FROM JAPAN ALSO AT A COST OF NEARLY $2 MILLION.
/MR PAK