XN000022-1977-11-28 — Page 5

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1977

IN THE 18 MONTHS OF THEIR EXISTENCE AS A COMMITTEE.

MR. HAYES SAID, MEMBERS HAD MET 21 TIMES IN THE MAIN COMMITTEE AND SUB-COMMITTEES, PREPARING 43 PAPERS AND HAD MADE A NUMBER OF VISITS TO AMENITIES INSIDE AND OUTSIDE TSUEN WAN.

MANY USEFUL IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE AMENITIES HAD BEEN CONTRIBUTED, HE ADDED.

MR. HAYES RECALLED THAT THE COMMITTEE AT FIRST HAD NO FUNDS OF ITS OWN, BUT FROM APRIL THIS YEAR, A SUM OF $200,000 WAS MADE AVAILABLE TO ASSIST IN THE PROMOTION AND EXPANSION OF SPORTS AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES.

+1 CANNOT SAY AT THIS POINT PRECISELY WHAT FUNDS WILL BE AVAILABLE NEXT YEAR, BUT I AM REASONABLY CONFIDENT THAT THEY WILL BE SUBSTANTIALLY MORE THAN THE $200,000 WHICH WAS AVAILABLE TO THE OLD COMMITTEE,+ HE SAID.

HE SAID THE WORK OF THE DISTRICT ADVISORY BOARD WOULD BE WIDER IN SCOPE, AND WOULD NOT ONLY CONTINUE TO PROMOTE ALL ASPECTS OF SPORTING, RECREATIONAL AND CULTURAL ADVANCEMENT, BUT ALSO BE ABLE TO RAISE MATTERS WHICH RELATED TO THE ENTIRE RANGE OF GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY BUSINESS IN TSUEN WAN.

+ IT WILL ALSO PLAY A MAJOR PART IN HELPING TO DECIDE PRIORITIES FOR THE NEW PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME ITEMS IN THE NEW TOWN.+

MR. HAYES SAID IT WOULD TAKE TIME FOR THE BOARD TO WORK INTO ITS NEW RESPONSIBILITIES AND FOR DEPARTMENTS TO GEAR THEMSELVES TO THE NEW SITUATION.

+HOWEVER, IN THE GOVERNMENT'S VIEW, THESE CHANGES ARE UNDOUBTEDLY FOR THE BEST AND THEY ARE EXPECTED TO CONTRIBUTE GREATLY TO THE GOOD OF TSUEN WAN, + HE SAID.

TODAY'S MEETING WAS THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF INAUGURAL MEETINGS OF THE SEVEN N.T. DISTRICT ADVISORY BOARDS, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF WHICH WERE ANNOUNCED BY THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLE HOSE, IN HIS ANNUAL ADDRESS TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL LAST MONTH.

TSUEN WAN - WITH A POPULATION OF NEARLY 500,000 - HAS THE LARGEST BOARD WITH 20 UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS MAINLY DRAWN FROM THE RECREATION AND AMENITIES COMMITTEE WHICH WAS REPLACED BY THE DISTRICT ADVISORY BOARD.

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