TUESDAY, JULY 6, 1982
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WATER ACCOUNT ENQUIRIES AVERAGE 22 000 A MONTH
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THE 'TER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT HANDLES AN AVERAGE OF 22 000 WATER ACCOUNT ENQUIRIES EACH MONTH.
ADDRESSING A LUNCH MEETING OF THE LIONS CLUB OF BEACON HILL TODAY (TUESDAY), THE BUSINESS MANAGER OF THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT, MR TOM MCDONOUGH SAID THAT 6 000 OF THESE WERE BY TELEPHONE, 6 000 BY LETTERS AND THE REMAINING 10 000 AT THE ENQUIRY CENTRE.
THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT HAS SET UP THREE ENQUIRY CENTRES. THEY ARE LOCATED AT LEIGHTON CENTRE, CAUSEWAY BAY: ARGYLE STREET, MONG KOK; AND TAI PO GOVERNMENT OFFICES WHERE CONSUMERS MAY COME AND DISCUSS ANY PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE IR WATER BILLS.
IN ADDITION, THE DEPARTMENT HAS SEVEN DIRECT TELEPHONE ENQUIRY LINES (5-7900222).
MR MCDONOUGH SAID THAT IT WAS PROPOSED TO SET UP MORE ENQUIRY CENTRES OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS IN SHA TIN, YUEN LONG, FANLING TSUEN WAN, TUEN MUN, KOWLOON BAY, SAI KUNG, WESTERN DISTRICT, SHAU KE WAN, STANLEY AND ABERDEEN.
MR MCDONOUGH ALSO TOUCHED ON WATER DEPOSITS WHICH HE SAID WERE NOT TRANSFERABLE.
+IT IS WHOLLY INCORRECT THEREFORE FOR AN OUT-GOING TENANT TO ATTEMPT TO SELL' HIS DEPOSIT TO AN IN-COMING TENANT SINCE LEGALLY THE DEPOSIT REMAINS PERMANENTLY DUE TO BE REPAID TO THE INDIVIDUAL WHO PAID IN THE FIRST INSTANCE, + HE SAID.
+NEW TENANTS OR OWNERS SHOULD THEREFORE SEEK APPROVAL FROM THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT TO BECOME THE REGISTERED CONSUMER AND PAY THEIR OWN DEPOSIT WHICH WILL BE REFUNDED TO THEM AT A LATER DATE WHEN THEIR ACCOUNT IS CLOSED.+
MR MCDONOUGH SAID: +1 EMPHASIZE THEREFORE MOST STRONGLY THAT WHEN ANY REGISTERED CONSUMER MOVES FROM HIS LOCATION, HE MUST INFORM THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, AND IDEALLY IN ADVANCE.
ON THE GROWTH OF THE CONSUMER ACCOUNTS, HE SAID, THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 1 075 000 ACCOUNTS AT THE END OF LASŤ (JUNE) MONTH.
+WITH THE INCREASE IN SEPARATE METERING AS OPPOSED TO MANY HOUSEHOLDS BEING ON COMMON METERS AND THE GROWTH OF THE NEW TOWNS, THE NUMBER OF CONSUMER ACCOUNTS IS GROWING AT A RATE OF APPROXIMATELY 100 000 PER ANNUM, HE SAID.
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