TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 1982
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AS AN INTERIM TIME-SAVING MEASURE, URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT STAFF WERE SENT FROM AUGUST LAST YEAR TO TWO PORT HEALTH OFFICES AT BOTH SIDES OF THE HARBOUR FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF THE PUBLIC.
GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS CONCERNED ARE HOPING TO ENCOURAGE MORE CREMATIONS THAN BURIALS, WHICH WILL RESULT IN SAVINGS IN TERMS OF COST, AS WELL AS BURIAL SPACES.
THE 1981 CREMATION-TO-EURIAL RATIO WAS 57143, BUT IT IS HOPED THAT THIS RATIO COULD BE BROUGHT TO AT LEAST 65135 BY 1985.
IN TERMS OF COSTS, BURIAL IN A PUBLIC CEMETERY IS ABOUT $5 000, AGAINST ABOUT $4 000 FOR CREMATION, AN OFFICER OF THE USD STATED.
PRIVATE BURIALS COST VERY MUCH MORE. FOR INTERMENT IN THE CHINESE PERMANENT CEMETERIES, COSTS RUN UP TO $150 003, AND AT CHINESE CHRISTIAN CEMETERIES, TO ABOUT $100 000. IN ADDITION, THE COFFINS COST AN AVERAGE OF $20 000.
IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE A CREMATION-BURIAL RATIO OF AT LEAST 65:35 BY 1985, EVERY EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE TO PROMOTE CREMATION, INCLUDING THE INCREASE OF CREMATION FACILITIES AND COLUMBAR TUM SPACES, SAID A SPOKESMAN FOR USD, WHICH MANAGES THE FACILITIES.
THE PRESENT THREE CREMATORIA AT CAPE COLLINSON, DIAMOND HILL AND KWAI CHUNG HAVE A TOTAL ANNUAL CAPACITY OF NEARLY 16 000 CREMATIONS. THREE MORE CREMATORIA, WHICH WILL ENABLE A FURTHER 12 000 CREMATIONS A YEAR, WILL BE BUILT IN THE NEXT SIX YEARS. THEY ARE THE SHA TIN CREMATORIUM, THE WO HOP SHEK CREMATORIUM AND THE TUEN MUN CREMATORIUM.
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THERE ARE AT PRESENT ABOUT 30 800 COLUMBARIUM NICHES FOR CINERARY URNS AT THREE COLUMBARIA, BUT THE IR TOTAL CAPACITY WILL BE MORE THAN DOUBLED BY 1986.
PLANS CALL FOR 17 830 NICHES TO BE ADDED TO THE 22 700 AT THE CAPE COLLINSON COLUMBARIUM BY 1983, AND 18 000 MORE NICHES TO THE 4 600 AT THE DIAMOND HILL COLUMBARIUM. A NEW SHA TIN COLUMBARIUM WILL PROVIDE ANOTHER 18 000 SPACES WHILE THE
3 500-NICHE CAPACITY OF THE KWAI CHUNG COLUMBARIUM WILL REMAIN UNCHANGED.
MR LAI CHU-KONG, STAFF OFFICER (CEMETERIES AND CREMATORIA) OF USD, SAID THERE WERE ONLY ABOUT 3 000 VACANT NICHES LEFT EARLIER THIS MONTH BUT ANOTHER 3 800 NICHES WILL BE AVAILABLE WITH THE FIRST STAGE EXTENSION TO THE CAPE COLLINSON COLUMBARIUM
IN AUGUST.
THE URBAN COUNCIL ALSO MANAGES FIVE PUBLIC CEMETERIES IN THE URBAN AREAS WHILE THE NEW TERRITORIES SERVICES OPERATES ANOTHER FIVE PUBLIC CEMETERIES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.
THE PRIVATE CEMETERIES INCLUDE 17 LOCATED IN THE URBAN AREAS AND ANOTHER SEVEN IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, MOST OF THE FORMER HAVE REACHED THE IR FULL CAPACITY.
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