XN000022-1977-01-11 — Page 4

HK HARBOUR NOW CLEANER

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THE FIGHT AGAINST POLLUTION IN THE HARBOUR IS BEGINNING TO LOOK BRIGHTER FOLLOWING VIGOROUS EFFORTS BY THE ANTI-POLLUTION UNIT OF THE MARINE DEPARTMENT.

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ACCORDING TO MR. TONY MASON, MARINE OFFICER (POLLUTION CONTROL

+ THE SITUATION IN THE HARBOUR HAS IMPROVED CONSIDERABLY

IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS.+

MR. MASON SAID THE IMPROVEMENT WAS DUE TO THE INCREASE IN STRENGTH OF THE DEPARTMENT'S FLEET OF REFUSE COLLECTION CRAFT.

+WE HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED EXTRA FUNDS TO DEPLOY MORE CRAFT TO CARRY OUT SUCH TASKS IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE HARBOUR,+ HE SAID.

+ORIGINALLY, THE AMOUNT ALLOCATED FOR THIS FINANCIAL YEAR'S REFUSE COLLECTION WORK BY SAMPANS AND MOTORISED BOATS WAS $1.27 MILLION, THIS FIGURE HAS BEEN INCREASED BY AN EXTRA GRANT OF $190,000.

+THIS EXTRA AMOUNT ENABLED US TO ADD 10 MORE VESSELS TO THE ORIGINAL FLEET OF 31 SCAVENGING BOATS.+

SINCE AUGUST LAST YEAR MR MASON POINTED OUT, TWO EXTRA BOATS WERE HIRED TO COLLECT REFUSE IN THE CHAI WAN UNLICENSED DWELLING BOATS AREA AND, IN OCTOBER, TWO EXTRA FLEETS OF FOUR BOATS EACH WERE PUT INTO OPERATION -- ONE IN TSUEN WAN AND THE OTHER AS THE ROVING BACK-UP FLEET.

OF THE ORIGINAL 31 CRAFT, 16 ARE DEPLOYED IN THE CENTRAL HARBOUR AREA, SEVEN IN ABERDEEN, FIVE IN YAU MA TEI AND CAUSEWAY BAY TYPHOON SHELTERS AND THREE ARE ENGAGED IN COLLECTING REFUSE FROM OCEAN-GOING SHIPS.

MR. MASON SAID THAT LAST YEAR 3,645 TONS OF REFUSE WERE COLLECTED FROM THE HARBOUR AS COMPARED WITH THE PREVIOUS YEAR'S TOTAL OF 3,262 TONS.

AT PRESENT, REFUSE COLLECTED DAILY FROM THE HARBOUR AVERAGED ABOUT 10 TONS AND FROM OCEAN GOING SHIPS ABOUT TWO TONS, HE SAID.

KOWLOON DRIVING TEST CENTRE

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THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT THE FARY ROAD DRIVING TEST CENTRE WOULD BE RELOCATED AT THE METERED CAR PARK IN TIN KWONG ROAD WITH EFFECT FROM TOMORROW (WEDNESDAY).

CANDIDATES FOR PRIVATE CAR DRIVING TESTS WITH ORIGINAL APPOINTMENTS TO TAKE THEIR TESTS AT THE FARM ROAD DRIVING TEST CENTRE SHOULD NOW TAKE THEIR TESTS AT THE TIN KWONG ROAD DRIVING TEST CENTRE AT THE DATE AND TIME AS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED.