XN000022-1972-06-07 — Page 3

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Wednesday, June 7, 1972

Additional surveys and extensive ground investigations would also be

undertaken by firms of specialist consultants and contractors as a matter of

urgency, as this would be an essential prerequisite to the preparation of

detailed designs for the civil engineering works.

It was also intended to accelerate work on certain associated public

works, such as the reclamation of the area at Kowloon Bay intended for the

mass transit maintenance depots and the construction of relief roads, to

ensure they were phased in with the railway construction programme.

Legislation

The Financial Secretary said work would be started on drafting

legislation to provide for the compulsory acquisition of property, where this

was unavoidable, the alteration of streets and the compensation of those people

whose property would be interfered with in the course of construction.

"The preparation of this and other enabling legilsation will be

supervised by the Steering Group, which will also keep a watching brief on

the consultants' activities and the progress of the ground investigations

and the various associated works I have just mentioned," Mr. Haddon-Cave said.

He explained that certain essential pre-construction work was being

undertaken now so that no time would have been lost should the financial

explorations prove successful and a firm decision was taken later on this

year to proceed with construction.

Mr. Haddon-Cave said a decision on whether to go ahead definitely

with the construction of the railways would be taken before the end of this

year in the light of the findings of the Steering Group as to whether firm

possibilities exist of raising the requisite finance on reasonable terms.

/"If it