3
THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 1980
+SUBSEQUENT EVENTS WERE TO PROVE JUST HOW WRONG THESE CRITICISMS WERE, NOT ONLY FOR THE LIBRARY BUT FOR ALL THE FACILITIES OF THE CITY HALL,+ MR CHEN SAID.
MR CHEN ALSO SAID THAT IN APRIL 1973, THE URBAN COUNCIL ACHIEVED FINANCIAL AUTONOMY AND EIGHT MONTHS LATER, THE THEN LIBRARIES SELECT COMMITTEE OF THE COUNCIL PUT FORWARD A 10-YEAR LIBRARY EXPANSION PROGRAMME WHICH CALLED FOR THE SETTING UP. INITIALLY, OF ONE BRANCH LIBRARY IN EACH OF THE TEN URBAN DISTRICTS, AND AT A LATER STAGE, A BRANCH LIBRARY OF 1 000 TO 1 400 SQUARE METRES FOR EVERY 200 000 PEOPLE.
+TODAY, LESS THAN SEVEN YEARS LATER, THE URBAN COUNCIL OPERATES 11 DISTRICT LIBRARIES, TWO MOBILE LIBRARIES, THREE RECORD LISTENING LIBRARIES AND A VIDEO LIBRARY, AND TWO MORE DISTRICT LIBRARIES AT NORTH POINT AND KOWLOON BAY ARE UNDER ACTIVE PREPARATION.
+THESE LIBRARIES HAVE A COMBINED STOCK OF OVER ONE MILLION BOOKS AND 16 000 AUDIO-VISUAL ITEMS AND SUBSCRIBE TO ALMOST 2 400 NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS. THEY HAVE A REGISTERED MEMBERSHIP OF ABOUT 824 000 AND LAST YEAR THEY ISSUED 3.8 MILLION BOOKS FOR HOME READING, WHILST A FURTHER 3.9 MILLION BOOKS WERE CONSULTED IN THE LIBRARIES INCLUDING THE REFERENCE LIBRARIES, WHICH DEALT WITH 51 000 ENQUIRIES, + MR CHEN SAID.
YOUNG FABIANS VISIT NEW TERRITORIES ******
A PARTY OF YOUNG FABIANS LED BY FORMER MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, BARONESS WHITE, SPENT TODAY (THURSDAY) IN THE NEW TERRITORIES ACCOMPANIED BY OFFICIALS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION AND THE HOUSING AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENTS.
THE EIGHT-MEMBER GROUP, WHICH IS SPENDING A FEW DAYS IN HONG KONG BEFORE GOING TO CHINA, VISITED SHA TIN DISTRICT OFFICE WHERE THEY WERE BRIEFED BY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR DEVELOPMENT IN THE NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION, MR JOSEPH WONG.
AT SHUI WO COURT, THE MASSIVE HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME DEVELOPMENT NEARING COMPLETION IN SHA TIN, DISTRICT OFFICER, DR PATRICK HASE, BRIEFED THEM ON NEW TOWN DEVELOPMENTS.
THE NEXT STOP WAS AT LEK YUEN ESTATE WHERE THEY WERE MET BY ACTING SECRETARY FOR HOUSING, MR BERNARD WILLIAMS, AND OTHER SENIOR HOUSING DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS, THEY VISITED A SHELTERED WORKSHOP FOR THE HANDICAPPED RUN BY THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT AND A HOME FOR THE ELDERLY RUN BY THE TUNG WAH GROUP OF HOSPITALS.
AT WO CHE ESTATE THE GROUP VISITED A KINDERGARTEN, A SALVATION ARMY HOSTEL. A SCHOOL RUN BY THE HONG KONG SPASTICS ASSOCIATION AND THE ESTATE COMMERCIAL COMPLEX.
/AFTER LUNCH
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