XN000022-1977-05-06 — Page 5

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FRIDAY, MAY 6, 1977

SIR MURRAY'S TOUR ENDED AT SAU MAU PING, WHERE RECOMPACTING OF SLOPES IS WELL ADVANCED.

SPEAKING AT THE END OF HIS INSPECTION, SIR MURRAY STRESSED THE SCOPE OF THE WORK NOW IN PROGRESS.

HE SAID THAT APART FROM THE ELEVEN SLOPES BEING RECONSTRUCTED BECAUSE THEY MIGHT AFFECT TENANTS, WORKS OF VARYING TYPES WERE BEING CARRIED OUT ON 30 OTHER SLOPES.

+ALTOGETHER, 41 SLOPES ARE BEING DEALT WITH IN ONE WAY OR

ANOTHER.

+OF THESE, 18 (INCLUDING THE 11 AFFECTING TENANTS) ARE BEING COMPLETELY REBUILT 16 ARE BEING COVERED WITH CHUNAM- AND THE REST ARE BEING REPAIRED TO A MINOR EXTENT.

+I'VE JUST BEEN LOOKING AT THE SLOPES THAT I LOOKED AT SIX WEEKS AGO,+ SAID SIR MURRAY, AND IT'S PERFECTLY OBVIOUS THAT VERY CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE.+

SIR MURRAY SAID THAT IN SOME INSTANCES UNFORESEEN ENGINEERING PROBLEMS HAD BEEN ENCOUNTERED SUCH AS CONCEALED BOULDERS, AND THESE HAD LED TO UNAVOIDABLE DELAYS. BUT THE P.W.D. WAS CONFIDENT THAT ALL THE WORKS NECESSARY TO MAKE THE SLOPES SAFE COULD BE CARRIED OUT IN TIME.

IN THE INSTANCE OF THE SLOPE BEHIND BLOCK NINE AT SAU MAU PING WHICH FAILED LAST AUGUST, ENGINEERS HAD RUN INTO THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM.

BUT THEY HAD MADE UP THE LOST TIME, AND NOW EXPECTED TO HAVE ALL THE COMPACTION WORK NECESSARY FOR THE SLOPE'S SAFETY COMPLETED BY ABOUT THE END OF THE MONTH,

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