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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1986
→IT IS NOT THE PLACE TO TALK ABOUT SCHEMES SUCH AS THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION SCHEME IN DETAIL, BUT I FEEL STRONGLY THAT LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS AND THE LOCAL LANDSCAPING TRADE SHOULD KEEP A VERY GOOD EYE ON THESE DEVELOPMENTS.+
TURNING TO THE STRATEGY OF LANDSCAPING, MR BARNES SAID HE PERSONALLY LOOKED ON THE COUNTRY PARKS AS STRATEGIC.
+THE PHILOSOPHY BEING THAT IF THE JUNGLE WE LIVE IN HAS TO BE OVERLY CONCRETE, AT LEAST WE SHOULD TRY TO KEEP THE COUNTRYSIDE AREAS GREEN AND UNSPOILED.
+WHERE I THINK THAT THE LANDSCAPE IS LOSING OUT MOST IS THE GRADUAL DISAPPEARANCE OF THE VISTAS OF NATURAL SCENERY OF THE SEA FROM THE STREETS AND BUILDINGS IN URBAN AREAS BOTH IN HONG KONG AND KOWLOON AND IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.+
THIS WAS RELATED TO THE PLANNING OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND ALSO TO THE LACK OF EFFECTIVE CONTROL OF UNPLANNED DEVELOPMENT.
+ IN CRITICISING URBAN PLANNING, ONE HAS TO ACCEPT THAT THERE IS MUCH OF SUBJECTIVITY IN ALL OUR APPROACHES, AND I REALISE I HAVE A PERSONAL FRUSTRATION ABOUT THE LOSS OF VISTAS. BUT DO THINK THAT THE LOSS OF EVERYBODY'S VIEW OF VICTORIA BARRACKS MIGHT HAVE BEEN WEIGHED MORE HEAVILY IN THE DECISION TO BUILD THE SUPREME COURT AND THE GOVERNMENT OFFICES IN QUEENSWAY, HE SAID.
LONG SERVICE PAYMENT DUE FOR REVIEW *****
THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT IS TO EXAMINE THE POSSIBILITY OF EXTENDING THE SCOPE OF THE LONG SERVICE PAYMENT SCHEME EARLY NEXT YEAR, THE ACTING COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR, MR DARWIN CHEN, SAID.
AND IT WILL ALSO CONSIDER WHETHER OR NOT TO INCREASE THE BENEFITS OF EMPLOYEES AGED BELOW 40 AND TO PROVIDE COMPENSATION TO THE IR DEPENDANTS UNDER THE SCHEME, HE ADDED.
SPEAKING AT THE ANNUAL BALL OF THE HONG KONG INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS ASSOCIATION THIS (SATURDAY) EVENING, MR CHEN NOTED THAT SINCE THE SCHEME CAME INTO OPERATION IN JANUARY THIS YEAR, IT WAS SUBJECTED TO CRITICISMS IN A NUMBER OF AREAS.
/+THESE INCLUDE