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SUNDAY, APRIL 12, 1981
+THE NEW DOUBLE-TRACK BEACON HILL TUNNEL WILL BE OPENED SHORTLY. THE OVERHEAD WIRES TO PROVIDE POWER TO THE TRAIN ARE BEING ERECTED AND THE NEW ROLLING STOCK MAINTENANCE DEPOT IS HALF COMPLETE, HE SAID,
THE KCR SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE INNER SUBURBAN SERVICE BETWEEN HUNG HOM AND SHA TIN WOULD COME INTO OPERATION IN THE SPRING OF 1982 AND THE REST OF THE LINE BY THE END OF 1982.
BY THEN, HE SAID, THE JOURNEY TIME BETWEEN KCR TERMINAL AT HUNG HOM AND LOWU WILL TAKE LESS THAN 40 MINUTES AS FAST AS THE PRESENT DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE SERVICE.
NEARLY TWICE
DISTRICT BOARD BUDGET ALMOST DOUBLED
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THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALLOCATED $12,2 MILLION TO THE EIGHT NEW TERRITORIES DISTRICT BOARDS THIS FINANCIAL YEAR, ALMOST DOUBLE LAST YEAR'S ALLOCATION.
THE LARGEST SUM - ALMOST ONE QUARTER OF THE TOTAL BUDGET - GOES TO TSUEN WAN, WHICH WILL RECEIVE $3.99 MILLION. THIS IS AN INCREASE CF 96 PER CENT OVER THE AMOUNT PROVIDED DURING 1980/81.
YUEN LONG RECEIVES $2.03 MILLION, COMPARED WITH LAST YEAR'S $994 000, WHILE TUEN MUN HAS BEEN ALLOCATED $1.372 MILLION, EXACTLY DOUBLE THE 1980/81 ALLOCATION.
OTHER ALLOCATIONS ARE SHA TIN ($1.07 MILLION)- TAI PO ($996 000)- SAI KUNG ($963 000)- ISLANDS ($939 000) AND NORTH ($870 000).
THE DISTRICT BOARD BUDGET TOTALLED $6.112 MILLION LAST YEAR. FOR 1979/80 IT WAS $4.5 MILLION AND FOR 1978/79 IT WAS $3.7 MILLION.
OF THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, MORE THAN 65 PER CENT WILL BE SPENT ON CULTURAL, RECREATIONAL AND SPORTING ACTIVITIES. THE BALANCE IS FOR MINOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS.
DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR AUGUSTINE CHUI KAM, SAID HE WAS PLEASED THAT A SUBSTANTIALLY LARGER AMOUNT+ HAD BEEN PROVIDED FOR DISTRICT BOARDS THIS YEAR.
HE SAID SINCE BOARDS WERE SET UP AT THE END OF 1977 THEY HAD DONE A GREAT DEAL OF VALUABLE WORK AND THE PROVISION OF EXTRA MONEY WOULD ENABLE THEM TO INCREASE THE SCOPE AND RANGE OF THEIR ACTIVITIES.
+THE BOARDS ORGANISE RECREATION AND SPORTS AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES WHICH INVOLVE LARGE NUMBERS OF YOUNG PEOPLE,+ MR CHU | SAID. +GOVERNMENT REGARDS THIS AS VITAL WORK AND IS GRATEFUL TO DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS FOR THE TIME THEY GIVE UP.+
THE EIGHT DISTRICT BOARDS NOW HAVE 165 MEMBERS, MORE THAN 60 PER CENT OF WHOM ARE UNOFFICIALS.
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