XN000022-1977-10-08 — Page 2

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1977

MORE SWIMMING POOLS FOR N.T.

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THERE WILL BE 11 MORE PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL COMPLEXES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES BETWEEN NOW AND THE EARLY 1980'S, THE SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR. DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY.

ALL THESE NEW POOLS WILL COST SOMEWHERE IN THE REGION OF $130 MILLION TO CONSTRUCT, HE SAID.

MR. AKERS-JONES WAS ADDRESSING SOME 300 PARTICIPANTS OF TODAY'S SECOND NEW TERRITORIES SWIMMING GALA HELD AT THE TSUEN WAN SWIMMING POOL - THE ONLY ONE IN THE NEW TERRITORIES SO FAR.

HE SAID THERE WOULD BE ANOTHER SWIMMING POOL COMPLEX TO BE BUILT IN NORTH KWAI CHUNG, TWO IN TSUEN WAN AND ANOTHER ON TSING YI TO SERVE THE RAPIDLY GROWING POPULATION OF THE TSUEN WAN NEW TOWN.

TWO.

+THE OTHER NEW TOWNS OF SHA TIN AND TUEN MUN WILL EACH HAVE

+ IN THE OTHER AREAS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES, WORK IS WELL IN HAND ON A SWIMMING POOL COMPLEX AT FANLING, AND WORK WILL START ON THE YUEN LONG COMPLEX NEXT YEAR.

+ IN 1981, TAI PO WILL ALSO GET ITS OWN PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL COMPLEX, + HE SAID.

IN ADDITION, MR. AKERS-JONES SAID THE URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT HAD NOW COMPLETED A SURVEY OF THE BEACHES AND FACILITIES AT SWIMMING AREAS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.

THE DEPARTMENT IS PLANNING A MAJOR PROGRAMME OF EXPANSION AND IMPROVEMENT OF FACILITIES IN THESE AREAS, HE ADDED.

ALL THESE, MR. AKERS-JONES SAID, ARE IN LINE WITH THE GOVERNMENT'S RECOGNITION OF THE REMARKABLE RISE IN POPULARITY OF SWIMMING AS A RECREATIONAL AND SPORTING OUTLET IN HONG KONG OVER RECENT YEARS.

+THIS IS BUT ONE PART OF THE 'VIGOROUS ACTION' THE GOVERNOR DESCRIBED IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THIS WEEK TO BRING AMENITIES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES UP TO THE STANDARDS OF THOSE IN THE URBAN. AREAS, HE SAID.

+AS A MATTER OF FACT, I READ ONLY THE OTHER DAY THAT AT THE PRESENT RATE OF POOL BUILDING, HONG KONG WILL SOON HAVE MORE SWIMMING POOLS PER SQUARE MILE THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.+

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