XN000022-1976-09-03 — Page 4

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1976

PIG SUPPLIES BOUNCED BACK

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DESPITE THE RAINSTORM OF AUGUST 25, WHICH PUT OUT OF ACTION THE RAILWAY BRIDGE OVER THE SHING MUN RIVER AND SEVERELY DISRUPTED ALL COMMUNICATIONS, SUPPLIES OF PIGS FROM CHINA REACHING THE URBAN COUNCIL'S TWO MAIN ABATTOIRS, AT CHEUNG SHA WAN AND KENNEDY TOWN, RETURNED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY TO NORMAL AND ARE RUNNING NORMALLY NÓW.

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE URBAN COUNCIL POINTED OUT TODAY THAT PIGS FROM CHINA CONSTITUTE THE VAST BULK OF LIVESTOCK SENT TO THE ABATTOIRS.

HE SAID IN THE SEVEN DAYS PRECEDING THE RAINSTORM (AUGUST 18 TO 24 INCLUSIVE) PIG SUPPLIES FROM CHINA - BY RAIL, SEA AND ROAD - WERE RUNNING AT A DAILY AVERAGE OF 7,333 HEADS.

ON AUGUST 25, AT THE HEIGHT OF THE RAINS, THE SUPPLY DROPPED TO 80. BUT THE NEXT DAY, THE LEVEL ROSE TO 12,486 AND IN THE SEVEN DAYS FOLLOWING THE STORM (AUGUST 26 TO SEPTEMBER 1) THE AVERAGE DAILY FIGURE WAS 9,624.

THE FIGURE FOR PIGS DESPATCHED FROM CHINA BY RAIL SHOWS A SIMILAR PICTURE.

IN THE SEVEN DAYS PRECEDING THE STORM, THE DAILY AVERAGE TOTAL REACHING THE ABATTOIRS WAS 5,100. IN THE SEVEN DAYS FOLLOWING THE STORM, THE AVERAGE WAS 4,879. EVEN THOUGH, WITH THE BRIDGE DOWN, THESE PIGS WILL HAVE COMPLETED THEIR JOURNEY BY ROAD.

MEANWHILE, THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE KOWLOON CANTON RAILWAY (KCR), MR. REGINALD GREGORY, SAID TODAY THAT THE UNLOADING OF GOODS FROM RAILWAY WAGONS WILL RETURN TO NORMAL VOLUME WITHIN ONE WEEK OR TWO WHEN TWO MORE TEMPORARY FREIGHT TERMINALS ARE OPENED IN SHA TIN,

THE TERMINALS TO BE OPENED ARE AT THE SOUTH OF SHA TIN STATION AND AT FO TAN.

AT PRESENT, MR. GREGORY SAID, THREE TEMPORARY TERMINALS WHICH ARE BEING USED FOR UNLOADING WAGONS ARE AT WO HOP SHEK, FAN LING AND HO TUNG LAU WORKSHOPS.

THE KCR OPENED THESE TEMPORARY TERMINALS BECAUSE THE WAGONS COULD NOT REACH KOWLOON AS A RESULT OF DAMAGE CAUSED TO THE OLD RAILWAY BRIDGE OVER SHING MUN RIVER BY LAST WEEK'S RAINSTORM.

HE SAID THAT ABOUT 70 WAGONS WERE BEING UNLOADED FROM THESE THREE TERMINALS DAILY.

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