XN000022-1976-05-01 — Page 3

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SATURDAY, MAY 1, 1976

TANNERS URGED TO DECIDE EARLY ON LAND OFFER

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THE 55 SHEUNG SHUI TANNERY OPERATORS, WHO ARE TO BE CLEARED AT THE END OF JULY, HAVE BEEN URGED TO DECIDE EARLY WHETHER TO ACCEPT AN OFFER OF 104,500 SQUARE FEET OF ADDITIONAL LAND AT THE KWAI CHUNG OFFENSIVE TRADES AREA.

THE TANNERS ARE ALREADY BUYING MORE THAN 75,500 SQUARE FEET IN THE AREA. THE EXTRA PLOTS, OFFERED TO THEM EARLY LAST MONTH AT THEIR REQUEST, ARE ADJACENT TO THEIR EXISTING SITES.

IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 29, MR. JOHN CHAMBERS, DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, ASKED THE TANNERS TO INFORM HIM OF THEIR DECISION +IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE IN VIEW OF THE SHORT PERIOD REMAINING BEFORE THE DEADLINE OF JULY 31, 1976.*

MR. CHAMBERS ALSO OFFERED THE FIFTH CONSORTIUM, CONTAINING 33 OF THE SMALLER OPERATORS, A FURTHER 6,200 SQUARE FEET OF LAND IN ADDITION TO THE 16,500 SQUARE FEET THEY WERE OFFERED ON APRIL 13. THEY ARE ALREADY BUYING 3,500 SQUARE FEET.

REITERATING GOVERNMENT'S FIRM RESOLVE TO CLEAR THE TANNERIES ON JULY 31, A NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION SPOKESMAN STRESSED THE NEED FOR THE TANNERS TO BEGIN PLANNING THEIR MOVE TO KWAI CHUNG WITHOUT DELAY.

HE SAID THAT NOT ONLY WAS THE LAND ON WHICH THEY WERE OPERATING HEAVILY POLLUTED, BUT IT WAS ALSO REQUIRED FOR FUTURE HOUSING AND LIGHT INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT. THE TANNERS CAN NOT CLAIM THAT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN GIVEN SUFFICIENT TIME,+ THE SPOKESMAN STATED.

+THEY WERE NOTIFIED MORE THAN FOUR YEARS AGO THAT THEY WOULD BE REQUIRED TO MOVE, CONTINUED OPERATION AT SHEUNG SHUI HAS BEEN PERMITTED IN THE MEANTIME ONLY ON CONDITION THAT THEY MOVE TO KHAI CHUNG,

HE POINTED OUT THAT THE TANNERS WERE NOTIFIED AS FAR BACK AS 1973 THAT THE FINAL CLEARANCE DATE WOULD BE JULY 31, 1976.

IN A FURTHER MOVE. THE DISTRICT OFFICE TAI PO HAS WRITTEN TO THE TANNERY OPERATORS FORMALLY NOTIFYING THEM THAT THEIR CROWN LAND LICENCES WILL BE CANCELLED ON JULY 31.

THE TEMPORARY PERMITS WERE ISSUED WHEN GOVERNMENT RE-ENTERED THE LAND IN 1972 BECAUSE, ALTHOUGH BEING AGRICULTURAL LAND, IT HAD BEEN USED FOR INDUSTRIAL PURPOSES,

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