WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1983
THE PROPOSED PROVISIONS ARE
FIRST, THE REMOVAL OF THE PROVISION IN THE PRESENT ORDINANCE WHICH DEEMS A WIFE TO BE ONE AND THE SAME PERSON AS HER HUSBAND.
SECOND, THE REMOVAL OF THE PROVISIONS WHICH DEEM THE INCOME
OF A WIFE TO BE THAT OF HER HUSBAND.
THIRD, PERMISSION FOR HUSBANDS AND WIVES TO ELECT A JOINT RETURN AND THE SEPARATE PAYMENT OF THE IR RESPECTIVE SHARES OF THE TAX BILL.
DEBATE ON THE BILL WAS ADJOURNED TO DECEMBER 21.
POTENTIAL FOR EXPANSION IN LRT SYSTEM
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THE LIGHT RAILWAY TRANSIT SYSTEM AS NOW DESIGNED WOULD PROVIDE NOT ONLY AN INTERNAL NETWORK FOR TUEN MUN BUT ALSO A LINK BETWEEN THIS NEW TOWN AND YUEN LONG, THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, THE HON ALAN SCOTT, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.
AND THE SYSTEM HAD THE POTENTIAL FOR EXTENSION TO TSUEN WAN WHERE AN INTERCHANGE WOULD BE PROVIDED WITH THE MTR, MR SCOTT SAID.
SINCE THE ORIGINAL LRT STUDY IN 1977, DEVELOPMENT PLANS FOR THE WESTERN NEW TERRITORIES HAD ADDED YUEN LONG TO THE LIST OF NEW TOWNS, AND TIN SHUT WAI HAD BEEN INCLUDED AS A DEVELOPMENT FOR 136 000 PEOPLE INITIALLY, MR SCOTT TOLD THE COUNCIL.
WHEN FULLY DEVELOPED, THE WESTERN NEW TERRITORIES WOULD CONTAIN OVER 800 000 PEOPLE IN AN AREA LARGER THAN THE KOWLOON PENINSULA, HE ADDED.
+THUS THE CHARACTER OF THE ORIGINAL LRT HAS BEEN CHANGED FROM A LOCAL TOWN SYSTEM TO A REGIONAL RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM FOR THE WESTERN NEW TERRITORIES, HE SAID.
REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON CHEUNG YAN-LUNG,
MR SCOTT EXPLAINED THE CHOICE BETWEEN A LIGHT AND A HEAVY RAIL SYSTEM WAS DETERMINED BY REFERENCE TO PASSENGER VOLUMES AND TO COSTS.
+A LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM SUCH AS THE ONE UNDER DISCUSSION COULD CARRY UP TO 35 000 PEOPLE PER HOUR. HEAVY RAIL SYSTEMS, SUCH AS THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY AND THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY CAN CARRY UP TO 60 000 PEOPLE PER HOUR.
+A GROUND-LEVEL HEAVY RAIL SYSTEM WOULD COST ABOUT 2-1/2 TIMES AS MUCH PER KILOMETRE AS AN LRT, AND AN UNDERGROUND HEAVY RAIL SYSTEM WOULD COST MORE THAN THAT,+ MR SCOTT SAID.
AS THE PREDICTED MAXIMUM VOLUME FOR THE FULL POTENTIAL LAT NETWORK DID NOT EXCEED 35 000 PEOPLE PER HOUR, LRT WAS CHOSEN AS PROVIDING AN +ADEQUATE AND ECONOMIC HIGH QUALITY+ SYSTEM FOR THE AREA, HE SAID.
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