XN000022-1977-12-02 — Page 5

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1977

+AS FOR THE LANDOWNER, THIS YEAR WE ARE RESUMING

SOMETHING

LIKE 16 MILLION SQUARE FEET OF LAND, ABOUT 370 ACRES, WHICH WOULD BE A LARGE AREA BY ANY STANDARDS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

+AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO CASH COMPENSATION, AN EXCHANGE SYSTEM WAS DEVISED IN 1960 AND CASH COMPENSATION RATES HAVE BEEN INCREASED DURING THE LAST YEARS, HE SAID.

ON THE NEW TERRITORIES POPULATION, MR. AKERS-JONES SAID THAT ACCORDING TO THE LATEST ESTIMATES, IT WOULD BE AROUND 2.17 MILLION BY 1986 - DOUBLING THE 1976 FIGURE IN 10 YEARS.

HE SAID THAT IN 1976, THE FIGURE WAS 945,000 COMPARED WITH 91,000 IN 1911.

HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD DRAWN UP PLANS WHICH SHOULD ENSURE THAT ALL THE RESIDENTS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES WOULD HAVE ALL THE NECESSARY COMMUNITY INGREDIENTS FOR A FULL AND SATISFYING LIFE - TOWN HALLS, SWIMMING POOLS, CLINICS AND HOSPITALS, SECONDARY SCHOOLS, SPORTS AND PLAYING FIELDS.

+THESE ARE THE MATERIAL BUILDINGS TO PROVIDE A GREATLY ENRICHED LIFE FOR THE PEOPLE, HE SAID.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

COPIES OF MR. AKERS-JONES' SPEECH, IN CHINESE AND ENGLISH, WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR COLLECTION IN THE G.I.S. PRESS BOXES THIS EVENING.

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