TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 1986
THE LONG-TERM SOLUTION, SIR DAVID ADDED, WAS TO GET RID OF SQUATTERS ALTOGETHER. +AND I WAS JUST HEARING FROM THE SECRETARY FOR HOUSING THAT HE HAD BEGUN TO MAKE A START ON A LONG-TERM CLEARANCE PROGRAMME OF ALL OUR SQUATTERS, AND THAT'S WHAT WE MUST REALLY WORK TOWARDS,+ HE SAID.
ASKED WHETHER HE FOUND IT DISTURBING THAT NO CAUSE HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR THE LAST TWO SQUATTER FIRES, SIR DAVID SAID IT HAD TO BE REMEMBERED THAT HONG KONG HAS HAD A VERY, VERY DRY WINTER.+
+ ON THE WHOLE, IN FACT, IF YOU COMPARE THE NUMBER OF FIRES IN RECENT TIMES TO THAT WE WERE EXPERIENCING A FEW YEARS AGO, IT IS MUCH FEWER NOW, HE SAID.
EARLIER, SIR DAVID ACCOMPANIED BY THE DISTRICT OFFICER (SHAM SHUI PO), MR TSE TAK-KAN, AND SENIOR OFFICIALS FROM THE FIRE SERVICES, HOUSING AND SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENTS, TOURED THE SCENE OF THE FIRE WHICH GUTTED A SQUATTER AREA OF 60 000 SQUARE METRES AND MADE SOME 1 900 PEOPLE HOMELESS.
HE PRAISED STAFF OF THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS INVOLVED WHO +HAVE ALL DONE EXTREMELY WELL+.
PUBLIC SESSION ON WAR MEMORIAL FUND
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THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE FUTURE OF THE HONG KONG WAR MEMORIAL FUND, CHAIRED BY MR K.C. CHAN, WILL MEET THE SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE, MR JOHN CHAMBERS, AT A PUBLIC SESSION IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL CHAMBER AT 5 PM ON THURSDAY (JANUARY 30) TO HEAR THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE FUND.
THIS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A SECOND PUBLIC SESSION NEXT THURSDAY (FEBRUARY 6) AT 4 PM WHEN THE COMMITTEE WILL MEET WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE WAR MEMORIAL FUND COMMITTEE, THE HONG KONG PRISONERS OF WAR ASSOCIATION AND THE SECOND WORLD WAR VETERANS ASSOCIATION TO HEAR THEIR VIEWPOINT.
THE HONG KONG WAR MEMORIAL FUND WAS SET UP IN 1947 TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE PRIMARILY TO MEMBERS OF THE VOLUNTEER AND AUXILIARY UNITS WHO WERE WOUNDED IN ACTION OR INJURED IN SERVICE OR TO PRISONERS OF WAR WHO ARE WHOLLY OR PARTIALLY INCAPACITATED FROM EARNING A LIVING.
/THE FUND