THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1990
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THE SECOND STAGE WOULD INVOLVE VARIOUS PREPARATORY WORK SUCH AS COMPILING A LISTING OF ALL LIVING QUARTERS IN HONG KONG, CONDUCTING FIELD TESTS ON THE CENSUS PROCEDURES, DEVELOPING THE COMPUTER SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT THE OPERATION, AND RECRUITING AND TRAINING THE ENUMERATION STAFF.
MR LEE SAID THE THIRD STAGE COMPRISED THE ACTUAL PROCESS OF ENUMERATION AND TO SAVE COSTS AND REDUCE THE ENUMERATOR REQUIREMENT, THE HOUSEHOLDER METHOD FOR SIMPLE ENUMERATION WOULD BE INTRODUCED.
"SIX OUT OF SEVEN OF ALL HOUSEHOLDS, WHICH WILL ANSWER ONLY THE BASIC QUESTIONS IN THE CENSUS, WILL RECEIVE A QUESTIONNAIRE IN ADVANCE. WE ASK THESE HOUSEHOLDS TO FILL IN THE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR EACH OF THEIR MEMBERS. THE COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES WILL BE COLLECTED BY THE CENSUS OFFICERS, HE SAID.
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"THE HOUSEHOLDER METHOD WILL NOT APPLY TO HOUSEHOLDS SELECTED FOR THE DETAILED ENUMERATION, THEY WILL NOT RECEIVE A QUESTIONNAIRE IN ADVANCE. INSTEAD, THEY WILL BE INTERVIEWED BY THE CENSUS OFFICERS, WHO WILL COMPLETE THE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THEM,' HE ADDED.
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MR LEE SAID THESE NEW ARRANGEMENTS WOULD HELP HIS DEPARTMENT CARRY OUT THE CENSUS MORE EFFICIENTLY.
"TO ACHIEVE THAT, WE SHALL RELY ON THE HOUSEHOLDS SELECTED FOR THE SIMPLE ENUMERATION TO COMPLETE THE QUESTIONNAIRE THEMSELVES PROPERLY. GIVEN THE RISING EDUCATIONAL STANDARD OF THE POPULATION AND THE SIMPLE CONTENT OF THE SELF-ENUMERATION QUESTIONNAIRE, THERE IS A VERY GOOD CHANCE THAT THE APPROACH WOULD BE SUCCESSFUL, HE SAID.
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THE FOURTH STAGE DEALS WITH THE COMPILATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF THE DATA COLLECTED WHICH WILL BE PRESENTED IN TABULAR FORM.
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MR LEE NOTED THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE CENSUS WAS TO OBTAIN TO-DATE AND RELIABLE INFORMATION ON THE POPULATION OF HONG KONG, DATA OF WHICH WERE VITAL FOR FORWARD PLANNING IN AREAS SUCH AS HOUSING, TRANSPORT, MEDICAL AND SOCIAL SERVICES.
HE POINTED OUT THAT A NUMBER OF GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS USED THE CENSUS DATA TO FORECAST THE FUTURE POPULATION DISTRIBUTION, WHICH FORMED THE BASIS FOR THE PLANNING OF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES.
"WITH THE RAPID GROWTH OF NEW TOWNS AND URBAN REDEVELOPMENT, THERE IS A CONTINUOUS NEED FOR POPULATION DATA ON SMALL AREAS FOR LOCAL PLANNING. THE CENSUS IS A PRIMARY SOURCE OF THESE DATA, SAID.
"AS
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HONG KONG DEVELOPS INTO AN INTERNATIONAL CENTRE OF TRADE AND FINANCE, THERE IS A GROWING NEED FOR DATA TO REFLECT ITS SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS, IN PARTICULAR, POPULATION DATA ARE REQUIRED BY THE BUSINESS SECTOR FOR APPRAISAL OF MARKET CONDITIONS AND PLANNING OF INVESTMENT, HE ADDED.
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"THE CENSUS
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