XN000022-1972-11-17 — Page 2

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Friday, November 17, 1972

"The Ha Tsuen Range has been in use as a properly gazetted range for

more than 20 years. There is no suitable alternative. Without it, the

professional standards of the Services would suffer."

Today's Government announcement outlined the measures to be introduced.

In addition to the new road and firing positions there is to be a

clear demarcation of range boundaries. Offers will be made as soon as possible

to all owners of private land within the new boundaries to lease their land

at a considerably increased rent. Existing arrangements for compensating

cultivators for loss of crops due to firing practice will continue until the

new range boundaries are brought into use, which will be done as soon as the new

access road and gun positions are completed.

Compensation will also be paid to clear all cultivation and structures

within the new range boundaries. As a result of these measures and the renting

of all the private land within the range, there will be no reason for members

of the public to be within the range boundaries while firing is taking place.

No cultivation or structures within the range will be permitted in future.

The new range boundaries will also exclude some illegal structures

which have been built within the range area during the past few years. These

structures were tolerated because they were sufficiently close to the maximum

limits of the theoretical danger zone to be subject to minimal hazard.

Recent experience, however, demonstrates that even this very low risk

is unsatisfactory and the Government, in the future, cannot allow the building

of any further illegal structures anywhere within the range.

/With