THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1955
REGIONAL SERVICES RESPONSIVE TO PEOPLE'S NEEDS
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THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE REGIONAL COUNCIL NEXT YEAR WILL BE A MAJOR STEP FORWARD IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG, THE DIRECTOR OF REGIONAL SERVICES, MR TONY HAMMOND, SAID TODAY (THURSDAY).
INCREASINGLY
+ THE NEED FOR THIS SECOND MUNICIPAL COUNCIL BECAME EVIDENT IN RECENT YEARS WITH THE SHIFT OF POPULATION FROM THE OLD URBAN AREAS TO THE NEW TOWNS, HE SAID.
+ITS MAIN PURPOSE WILL BE TO PROVIDE RESIDENTS CF
THE REGIONAL COUNCIL AREA WITH ESSENTIAL MUNICIPAL, RECREATIONAL AND CULTURAL SERVICES, IN THE SAME WAY AS THE URBAN COUNCIL DOES IN THE LONG-ESTABLISHED UREAN AREAS OF HONG KONG ISLAND AND KOWLOON.+
SPEAKING AT A LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE ZONTA CLUB OF KOWLOON, MR HAMMOND SAID THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE PROVISIONAL REGIONAL COUNCIL, SET UP ON APRIL 1 THIS YEAR, WAS TO PAVE THE WAY FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FULLY-AUTONOMOUS REGIONAL COUNCIL.
BY THEN, HE ADDED, THE ELECTED ELEMENT IN THE COUNCIL WOULD BE INCREASED BY 12, BRINGING TOTAL MEMBERSHIP TO 36.
THE ADDITIONAL 12 MEMBERS WOULD BE DIRECTLY ELECTED TO THE COUNCIL IN MARCH NEXT YEAR FROM 12 CONSTITUENCIES IN THE REGIONAL COUNCIL AREA, IN WHICH THERE ARE 442 790 REGISTERED ELECTORS.
+ IT IS ONLY THROUGH THE INPUT OF DIRECTLY ELECTED MEMBERS AS WELL AS THOSE INDIRECTLY ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS AND THE HEUNG YEE KUK, AND THE APPOINTMENT OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE WELL-KNOWN FOR THEIR PUBLIC SERVICE, THAT RESIDENTS CAN EXPECT TO RECEIVE THE BEST POSSIBLE SERVICE FROM THE COUNCIL IN RESPECT OF THE MANY SERVICES IT WILL PROVIDE WHICH AFFECT THE IR DAILY LIVES, + MR HAMMOND SAID.
+ THE PRESENT SET-UP OF THE PROVISIONAL COUNCIL BRINGS US THAT MUCH CLOSER TOWARDS THIS IDEAL SITUATION. BECAUSE UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THE COUNCIL, THE REGIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT IS AS RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE AS ITS RESOURCES WILL ALLOW, WITH REGARD TO THE PROVISION OF A WIDE RANGE OF MUNICIPAL SERVICES AND FACILITIES.+
MR HAMMOND SAID THAT THIS HAD BEEN MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FACT THAT IN EACH OF THE NINE DISTRICTS WITHIN ITS AREA, THE COUNCIL HAD SET UP A DISTRICT COMMITTEE WHICH COMPRISED BOTH COUNCIL MEMBERS AND LEADING MEMBERS OF LOCAL COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS.
/THE UBJIZZI...