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SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 1980
ENUMERATORS PREPARE FOR PILOT CENSUS
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ENUMERATORS OF THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TOOK THEIR OATH OF SECRECY FOR THE COMING PILOT LAND POPULATION CENSUS THIS MORNING, THE PILOT CENSUS WILL BEGIN NEXT FRIDAY (MARCH 7) AND END ON MARCH 16.
THE SECRECY OATH IS ONE OF THE STEPS BY WHICH THE DEPARTMENT ENSURES THAT INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY INDIVIDUALS PARTICIPATING IN THE CENSUS WILL BE TREATED AS STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL, AND WILL NEVER BE DISCLOSED TO ANY PERSON OR ORGANISATION OUTSIDE THE DEPARTMENT.
THE DATA WILL BE PROCESSED BY COMPUTER AND ANALYSED IN AGGREGATED FORM, NO INDIVIDUAL PARTICULARS CAN BE IDENTIFIED. BESIDES, ALL CENSUS SCHEDULES, WHICH DO CONTAIN THE NAMES OF INDIVIDUALS, ARE REQUIRED BY LAW TO BE DESTROYED WITHIN A YEAR AFTER THE CENSUS.
SOME 20 000 HOUSEHOLDS FROM VARIOUS TYPES OF LIVING QUARTERS HAVE BEEN RANDOMLY SELECTED FOR THE PILOT CENSUS. THESE HOUSEHOLDS ARE LOCATED IN ELEVEN DISTRICTS: WESTERN AND SHAU KI WAN/CHAI WAN ON HONG KONG ISLAND- TSIM SHA TSUI, CHEUNG SHA WAN, KOWLOON TONG AND KOWLOON CITY/WONG TAI SIN IN KOWLOON- AND IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, TSUEN WAN NEW TOWN, YUEN LONG, SAI KUNG/HANG HAU, TAI PO AND ISLANDS DISTRICT.
EXCEPT FOR THOSE WHO ARE LIVING IN TEMPORARY STRUCTURES AND UNLESS THERE ARE POSTAL DIFFICULTIES, THEY SHOULD NOW BE RECEIVING A NOTIFICATION LETTER FROM THE DEPARTMENT ENLISTING THEIR CO-OPERATION IN THIS PILOT CENSUS OPERATION. ANYONE WHO HAS ANY QUERIES CAN TELEPHONE THE DEPARTMENT AT 5-439189.
DRIER SUMMER PREDICTED
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THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY PREDICTED TODAY THAT THE RAINFALL FOR THE COMING SUMMER WILL BE LESS THAN THAT IN THE PREVIOUS TWO SUMMERS.
THE MAY TO OCTOBER RAINFALL THIS YEAR IS FORECAST TO LIE WITHIN THE RANGE 1 600 - 2 000 MILLIMETRES, CORRESPONDING TO 17 PER CENT BELOW TO FOUR PER CENT ABOVE THE 30-YEAR NORMAL OF 1 924 MILLIMETRES.
THE RAINFALL AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY FOR THE SAME PERIOD IN 1978 AND 1979 AMOUNTED TO 2 102.0 AND 2 242.4 MILLIMETRES RESPECTIVELY,
THE RAINFALL FOR THE YEAR 1980 AS A WHOLE IS EXPECTED TO BE WITHIN THE RANGE 1 900 2 300 MILLIMETRES, THAT IS, FROM 15 PER CENT BELOW TO TWO PER CENT ABOVE THE AVERAGE OF 2 246 MILLIMETRES.
IF NECESSARY THIS PRELIMINARY FORECAST WILL BE UPDATED IN MAY WHEN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.
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