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TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1982
DISTRICT BOARD PRAISED FOR COMMUNITY WORK
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TSUEN WAN TOWN MANAGER, DR JAMES HAYES, HELD HIS LAST MEETING TODAY (TUESDAY) WITH MEMBERS OF THE DISTRICT BOARD, WITH WHOM HE HAS BEEN WORKING AS CHAIRMAN FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS.
DR HAYES WILL BE LEAVING TSUEN WAN NEXT MONTH TO TAKE UP A NEW POST OF DEPUTY COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR.
AT TODAY'S MEETING, HE PAID TRIBUTE TO BOARD MEMBERS FOR THE IR SERVICES TOWARDS THE COMMUNITY,
IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS, HE SAID, THERE HAD BEEN MORE THAN 100 MEETINGS OF THE BOARD, ITS SUB-COMMITTEES AND VARIOUS WORK ING GROUPS, NOT TO MENTION WORK DONE FOR THE CLEAN HONG KONG, FIGHT CRIME AND ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGNS.
+ALL MEMBERS HAVE BEEN WORKING VERY HARD FOR THE BOARD, IN ADDITION TO THEIR OWN COMMITMENTS, HE SAID.
DR HAYES SAID A WARD SYSTEM, TO BE INTRODUCED NEXT MONTH, TOGETHER WITH THE ADDITION OF ELECTED MEMBERS AFTER MARCH, WOULD HELP TO BRING THE BOARD CLOSER TO THE RESIDENTS OF TSUEN WAN DISTRICT.
+THIS IS VERY NECESSARY WHEN IT IS REALISED THAT OUR PLANNED DEVELOPMENT WILL BRING 300 000 NEW PEOPLE TO TSUEN WAN IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS, HE SAID.
+LOOKING AHEAD, WE MUST EXPECT THE 1980'S TO BRING MORE PROBLEMS AND A GREATER COMPLEXITY TO OUR AFFAIRS, DR HAYES SAID.
+THE STRAINS AND STRESSES OF HIGH-RISE URBAN DEVELOPMENT, THE OUTSIDE INFLUENCES UPON THE HONG KONG ECONOMY AND LIFE-STYLE, AND THE EFFECT OF IMPROVED SOCIAL SERVICES WILL PROBABLY COMBINE" TO MAKE OUR POPULATION LESS TOLERANT THAN IT USED TO BE.
+ IT IS THEREFORE ESSENTIAL TO IMPROVE THE LOCAL MACHINERY FOR INFORMING OUR CITIZENS, KNOWING THEIR SITUATION, AND DEAL ING WITH THEIR PROBLEMS AND LEGITIMATE ASPIRATIONS.+
DR HAYES SAID THE BOARD WOULD HAVE ANOTHER ROLE TO PLAY WITH THE SETTING UP OF THE LANDS DEPARTMENT.
+ INITIALLY, AT LEAST, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SEPARATE LANDS DEPARTMENT COULD MEAN A LESS COMPACT MACHINERY FOR DEALING WITH CERTAIN 'PEOPLE-RELATED WORK AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, SUCH AS - IN THIS TOWN AND DISTRICT - LEASE ENFORCEMENT; LAND CONTROL, PROJECT SITE MONITORING AND RURAL LAND ADMINISTRATION.
*THE BOARD MUST HELP MONITOR THE CHANGEOVER SO AS TO HELP OFFICIALS MINIMISE ANY POTENTIAL PROBLEMS, HE SAID.
THE TSUEN WAN DISTRICT ADVISORY BOARD WAS SET UP IN NOVEMBER, 1977, TOGETHER WITH BOARDS IN THE OTHER SEVEN DISTRICTS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES. THE WORD ADVISORY' WAS DROPPED LAST APRIL. THE BOARD HAS 29 MEMBERS, OF WHOM 18 ARE UNOFFICIALS, THERE ARE SEVEN SUB-COMMITTEES.
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