XN000022-1978-07-17 — Page 2

MONDAY, JULY 17, 1978

GOVERNMENT'S COMPENSATION POLICY IN NT IS TO BE +FAIR AND REASONABLE+, SAYS SNT ******

THE SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR. DAVID AKERS- JONES, TODAY DESCRIBED THE GOVERNMENT'S COMPENSATION POLICY IN THE NEW TERRITORIES AS A VERY SIMPLE ONE -- IT IS TO BE AS FAIR AND REASONABLE AS POSSIBLE TO THE PEOPLE AFFECTED BY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES.

EUT WHILE THE POLICY MAY BE CLEAR, HE ADDED, THE REAL DIFFICULTY LIES IN ESTABLISHING FORMULAE AND RATES IN SOMETIMES EXTREMELY COMPLICATED CIRCUMSTANCES.

SPEAKING AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF THE NEA TERRITORIES, MR. AKERS-JONES SAID THE POLICY MUST ALSO HAVE REGARD TO THE WIDER PUBLIC INTEREST TO BE FAIR TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.

HE SAID: + IT IS NOT EASY TO ARRIVE AT A SOLUTION THAT IS SATISFACTORY TO ALL, AND IN A PROGRAMME SUCH AS THE ONE IN WHICH WE ARE NOW ENGAGED, WHEN SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO BE MOVED TO IMPLEMENT IT, OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE GOING TO BE CASES WHERE PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO BE ENTIRELY HAPPY WITH WHAT HAS BEEN OFFERED.

+ BUT LET ME ASSURE YOU THAT THE OFFICIALS INVOLVED ARE MOST CONCERNED TO GET THE BALANCE RIGHT OF WHAT IS FAIR AND REASONABLE.+

MR. AKERS-JONES ADDED THAT SENSIBLE ADVICE, OPINION AND INFLUENCE OF COMMUNITY LEADERS PLAY AN IMPORTANT PART AND ARE VERY WELCOME.

OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS, MR. AKERS-JONES SAID, SOME 100,000 PEOPLE OR MORE MUST BE CLEARED FROM THEIR HOMES ON THE LAND SO THAT THE COMMITMENT OF OUR SOCIETY TO PROVIDE DECENT HOUSING FOR ALL THOSE WHO NEED IT CAN EE MET IN TIME.

+THESE ARE YEARS OF GREAT CHANGE IN THE NEW TERRITORIES THEY ARE YEARS OF EXCITEMENT AND CHALLENGE AS THE VERY NATURË OF LIFE IN RURAL AREAS SHIFTS FROM THE COUNTRY PATTERN OF HUNDREDS OF YEARS TO THAT OF A COMPLEX DEVELOPED INDUSTRIAL COMMUNITY.

+THESE CHANGES INVOLVE PEOPLE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE PEOPLE AND LAND, PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO FORSAKE THEIR HOMES AND LAND FOR HIGH-RISE FLATS AND WORK IN INDUSTRY,+ HE SAID.

HE SAID HE BELIEVED THAT THE NEW RATES AND PROCEDURES RECOMMENDED BY A WORKING GROUP HEADED BY SIR YUET-KEUNG KAN AND ADOPTED BY THE GOVERNMENT LAST WEEK WERE IN LINE WITH THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY OF BEING FAIR AND REASONABLE.

MR. AKERS-JONES