5
WEDNESDAY, JULY 21,
1993
AS TO THE ARGUMENT THAT THE MERGER WOULD BRING TOO MANY PROBLEMS ΤΟ THE NEW DISTRICT BOARD, MR SUEN NOTED THAT THE TWO DISTRICTS SHARED MANY COMMON CHARACTERISTICS SUCH AS LAND-USE, HOUSING TYPES, DENSITY OF DEVELOPMENT AND TYPES OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES.
AS SUCH, HE SAID, THEIR COMMON PROBLEMS COULD BE MORE LOGICALLY AND EFFECTIVELY DEALT WITH TOGETHER.
REGARDING THE LEVEL OF RESIDENTS' SUPPORT FOR THE MERGER, MR SUEN SAID A NUMBER OF SURVEYS HAD BEEN CARRIED OUT BY CNTA AND GROUPS WITH DIFFERENT BACKGROUND.
WITHOUT EXCEPTION THEY ALL SHOWED THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE RESPONDENTS, OR ABOUT 60 PER CENT, HELD NO VIEWS AND WERE INDIFFERENT TO THE PROPOSAL.
OF THE REMAINING 40 PER CENT WHO EXPRESSED A VIEW, THOSE IN FAVOUR OF THE MERGER MARGINALLY OUT-NUMBERED THOSE WHO WERE AGAINST IT, MR SUEN SAID.
MR SUEN EMPHASISED THAT THE DECISION FOR THE MERGER WAS NOT TAKEN LIGHTLY, ADDING THAT THERE WERE SOME OCCASIONS WHEN THE ADMINISTRATION WAS UNABLE TO COME TO THE SAME CONCLUSIONS AS THE
DISTRICT BOARDS.
"TO MY MIND IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WHEN THIS HAPPENS, WE EXPLAIN OURSELVES," HE ADDED.
EARLIER, MR SUEN EXPLAINED THE NEED TO TAKE STOCK OF THE EVOLUTION OF THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION SCHEME AND TO CONSIDER ITS FUTURE DEVELOPMENT, PARTICULARLY IN RESPECT OF THE NUMBER OF DISTRICTS AND THEIR BOUNDARIES.
"THIS IS NECESSITATED BY THE SHEER DYNAMISM OF HONG KONG WHICH KEEPS IT GROWING AND EXPANDING AND WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION SCHEME CONTINUES TO FUNCTION SMOOTHLY AND EFFECTIVELY.
"FOR IN THE PAST 15 YEARS OR SO, WE HAD WITNESSED A LARGE-SCALE POPULATION MOVEMENT FROM THE OLD BUILT-UP URBAN AREAS TO THE TOWNS.
"THE IMPACT OF POPULATION ADMINISTRATION SCHEME IS OBVIOUS.
NEW
REDISTRIBUTION ON THE DISTRICT
TOWNS,
TSUEN WAN
"TO CATER FOR THE NEEDS OF THE NEW RESIDENTS IN THE NEW WE HAD IN 1979 SPLIT THE THEN TAI PO DISTRICT INTO TAI PO AND NORTH IN 1985 SPLIT THE THEN TSUEN WAN DISTRICT INTO DISTRICTS; AND KWAI TSING DISTRICTS, MR SUEN SAID.
+1
ALTHOUGH NO STEPS HAVE SO FAR BEING TAKEN то REDRESS THE PROBLEM OF DECLINING POPULATION IN THE URBAN AREAS, HE SAID IT WAS MATTER OF TIME BEFORE ACTION HAD TO BE TAKEN.
A
"MY REFERENCE TO THE NEED TO REVIEW THE NUMBER OF DISTRICTS AND THEIR BOUNDARIES WAS MADE AGAINST THIS BACKGROUND.
/"IN NOVEMBER