THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1984
27
PUBLIC WORKS SPENDING UP
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THE INCREASE IN EXPENDITURE ON NEW PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS REFLECTED THE GROWTH OF CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY IN HONG KONG, THE SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS, DR N.K. CHAN, TOLD AMERICAN AUDIENCES TODAY.
ADDRESSING FIRST THE ASIAN-AMERICAN ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS AND THEN THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS IN LOS ANGELES, DR CHAN POINTED OUT THAT THIS SPENDING HAD EXPANDED FROM $1 368 MILLION IN 1977-78 TO $6 013 MILLION IN 1983-84.
THE TOTAL VALUE OF ALL CONSTRUCTION WORK IN 1983 WAS ABOUT $24 290 MILLION, DESPITE SOME DECREASE IN THE LEVEL OF PRIVATE SECTOR WORK, HE SAID.
+ THE TOTAL EXPENDITURE ON PUBLIC WORKS FOR THE CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR, EXCLUDING PUBLIC HOUSING, LAND ACQUISITION AND CAPITAL EXPENDITURE UNDER THE DEFENCE COSTS AGREEMENT, IS EXPECTED TO BE IN THE REGION OF $6 800 MILLION.
+ IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR THE GOVERNMENT HAS INJECTED $3 600 MILLION WORTH OF NEW WORK IN THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME, AND I HAVE EVERY CONFIDENCE THAT THIS LEVEL OF NEW COMMITMENTS WILL BE MAINTAINED, IF NOT INCREASED, IN 1985-86,+ DR CHAN SAID.
THE INJECTION OF FUNDS WOULD ALLOW WORK TO START ON 120 NEW ITEMS, HE ADDED.
DR CHAN, WHO IS ON A THREE-WEEK VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES, SAID THAT FUTURE PROJECTS INCLUDED POSSIBLE FURTHER CROSSINGS OF THE HARBOUR BETWEEN HONG KONG AND KOWLOON BY TUNNEL AND BRIDGE STRUCTURES.
BESIDES NEW WORKS, THERE WERE MANY MAJOR ON-GOING PROJECTS, WITH SPENDING TOTALLING ABOUT $8 760 MILLION.
THIS FIGURE DID NOT INCLUDE EXPENDITURE OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY AND THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY CORPORATION.
ON THE BUILDING SIDE, DR CHAN SAID, THESE WOULD COVER SCHOOLS, FIRE STATIONS, MARKETS, BEACH BUILDINGS, GOVERNMENT OFFICE BUILDINGS AND POLICE STATIONS.
IN THE ENGINEERING FIELD, WORKS WOULD INCLUDE HIGHWAYS, FLYOVERS, SUBWAYS, FOOTBRIDGES, BUS TERMINI, RIVER TRAINING WORKS, LARGE-SCALE RECLAMATIONS, NEW RAILWAY STATIONS, SERVICE RESERVOIRS, WATER TREATMENT WORKS, PUMPING STATIONS, WATER DISTRIBUTION MAINS, SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS, LARGE-SCALE SITE FORMATIONS, DRAINS, SEWERS AND INCINERATORS.
/DR CHAN .....................
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