XN000022-1974-08-02 — Page 2

FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 1974.

HONG KONG ISLAND BECOMES SMOKE CONTROL AREA

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THE LATEST AND PERHAPS HOST SIGNIFICANT STEP IN THE GOVERN- MENT'S ANTI-POLLUTION COMPAIGN WAS TAKEN TODAY WITH THE DECLARATION OF HONG KONG ISLAND AS A SMOKE CONTROL AREA.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS GREETED ENTHUSIASTICALLY BY POLLUTION CONTROL AUTHORITIES WHO DESCRIBED IT AS A LOGICAL MOVE TOWARDS DECLARING ALL THE COLONY A SMOKE CONTROL AREA.

THE DECLARATION WAS PUBLISHED IN TODAY'S GOVERNMENT GAZETTE AND WILL BECOME EFFECTIVE ON OCTOBER 2. RESIDENTS OF THE ISLAND HAVE 21 DAYS IN WHICH TO COMMENT ON THE DECLARATION.

HONG KONG ISLAND CINCLUDING AP LEI CHAUD IS THE SEVENTH SMOKE CONTROL AREA DECLARED BY THE GOVERNMENT UNDER THE CLEAN AIR ORDINANCE, WHICH CARRIES FINES OF UP TO $2,000.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS WELCOMED TODAY BY MR. WALTER SULKE, CHAIRMAN OF THE AIR POLLUTION SUB-COMMITTEE OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION CEPCOM), AS A ''PLEASING AND POSITIVE STEP.''

HE SAID: +WE REALLY ARE BEGINNING TO CLEAN HONG KONG.

+BUT WE MUST KEEP AT IT TO ENSURE THAT HONG KONG DOES NOT BECOME AS POLLUTED AS OTHER PLACES, BOTH IN THE FAR EAST AND IN SOME EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.

MR. SULKE SAID HE WAS PLEASED THE GOVERNMENT HAD ACCEPTED EPCOM'S ADVICE ON SMOKE CONTROL AREAS BY DECLARING HONG KONG ISLAND.

+1 NOW LOOK FORWARD TO THE GOVERNMENT ACCEPTING THE FURTHER ADY ICE OF EPCOM THAT KOULOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES SHOULD BE DECLARED A SMOKE CONTROL AREA, THUS MAKING THE WHOLE OF HONG KONG SUBJECT TO ALL THE PROVISIONS OF THE CLEAN AIR ORDINANCE.+

HE WAS SUPPORTED BY THE CHAIRMAN OF EPCOM, MR. JOHN MARDEN, WHO SAID HE WAS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN THE LATEST DECLARATION BECAUSE HE HAD BEEN CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE ON AIR POLLUTION WHICH HAD ORIGINALLY RECOMMENDED DECLARING THE WHOLE COLONY A SHOKE CONTROL AREA.

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MR. MARDEN SAID: +STEADY PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE OVER THE YEARS TOWARDS THIS GOAL AND IN VIEW OF THIS LATEST GOOD NEWS I AM CONFIDENT THAT IT WON'T BE TOO LONG BEFORE THE COMMITTEE'S ORIGINAL RECOMMENDATIONS BECOME A FACT.+

THE HONG KONG