TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1982
HISTORY OF DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION TRACED
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IT IS QUITE IMPORTANT FOR US TO RECOGNISE THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM AS ONE OF THE OLDEST ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEMS OF HONG KONG WHICH HAS PROVEN ITS VALUE THROUGH TIME, THE CITY DISTRICT COMMISSIONER (YAU MA TEI/MONG KOK), MR WILFRED WONG YING-WAI SAID THIS EVENING (TUESDAY).
IN A SPEECH DELIVERED TO THE LIONS CLUB OF WEST KOWLOON AT SHERATON HOTEL, MR WONG TRACED THE HISTORY OF THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM AND FOUND ITS ROOTS IN THE LOCKHART REPORT PUBLISHED IN 1900 BY THE THEN COLONIAL SECRETARY, J.H.S. LOCKHART ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE NEW TERRITORIES.
MR WONG RECALLED THE SALIENT POINTS OF THE REPORT INCLUDING THE PRINCIPLE OF ADMINISTERING BY DISTRICTS WHEREBY THE NEW TERRITORIES WAS DIVIDED INTO EIGHT DISTRICTS AND 48 SUB-DISTRICTS, THE NOMINATION OF PEOPLE'S REPRESENTATIVES KNOWN AS THE COMMITTEE-MEN WHOSE ROLE WAS TO FORM A USEFUL LINK BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE VILLAGERS. THE APPOINTMENT OF THE COMMITTEE-MEN WAS FIRST ANNOUNCED IN THE 1899 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE.
IN COMPARING THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION SCHEME AS STIPULATED IN THE WHITE PAPER AND THE LOCKHART REPORT, MR WONG SAID THAT +ALTHOUGH THE SYSTEM WE NOW HAVE IS CERTAINLY MORE SOPHISTICATED, THE PRINCIPLE DOES NOT DIFFER MUCH FROM THAT FOLLOWED IN 1899.+
+THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN EVOLVING EVER SINCE 1899 AND THE FACT THAT IT HAS BEEN CHOSEN AS THE SYSTEM FOR MODERN HONG KONG AFTER ITS INTRODUCTION MORE THAN 80 YEARS AGO PERHAPS SERVES TO INDICATE THAT IT IS INDEED THE BEST SYSTEM FOR US.
+ IN ORDER THAT THIS WELL-FOUNDED SYSTEM BE ENCOURAGED TO DEVELOP FURTHER TO BENEFIT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU SHOULD ALL EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT BY CASTING YOUR VOTES ON SEPTEMBER 23 TO ENSURE THAT YOU ARE ABLY REPRESENTED AT THE DISTRICT BOARDS, + MR WONG CONCLUDED.
GOLDSMITHS URGED TO ADOPT SECURITY SYSTEMS
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WAN CHAI GOLDSMITHS AND JEWELLERY SHOP OWNERS ARE SHOWING ENCOURAGING RESPONSE TO CALLS FOR THEM TO BE MORE SECURITY CONSCIOUS BY INSTALLING ANTI-BURGLARY SYSTEMS, ACCORDING TO THE DISTRICT'S FIGHT CRIME COMMITTEE.
IN ORDER TO MAKE THEM AWARE OF THE IR VULNERABILITY TO BURGLARY, MEMBERS OF THE DISTRICT'S FIGHT CRIME COMMITTEE, TOGETHER WITH POLICE CRIME PREVENTION OFFICERS, HAVE BEEN VISITING THEM +TO EMPHASISE THE NEED FOR THEM TO IMPROVE THE SECURITY OF THE IR SHOPS,+ A SPOKESMAN FOR THE FIGHT CRIME COMMITTEE SAID.
THIS AFTERNOON, TWO MORE MEMBERS OF THE DISTRICT'S FIGHT CRIME COMMITTEE, DR CHUNG CHI-YING AND MR LO YICK-SUN, VISITED A JEWELLERY SHOP IN JOHNSTON ROAD, TO SPEAK TO THE OWNER ABOUT SECURITY SYSTEMS. THEY WERE ACCOMPANIED BY MR FRANCIS HO, WAN CHAI CITY DISTRICT OFFICER, AND POLICE CRIME PREVENTION OFFICERS.
UNTIL NOW, THE SHOPS HAVE NOT BEEN RECEPTIVE TO THE IDEA OF INVESTING IN SECURITY SYSTEMS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.