XN000022-1978-08-31 — Page 4

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 1978

SIR MURRAY NOTED THAT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW TERRITORIES HAD BROUGHT WITH IT MANY PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACQUISITION AND CLEARANCE OF LAND. REFERRING TO THE XUK'S INTEREST IN THESE PROBLEMS, SIR MURRAY HOPED THAT THE RECENTLY-REVISED METHODS AND RATES OF COMPENSATION FOR THE RESUMPTION OF LAND IN THE NEW TERRITORIES FOR URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND FOR A REGULAR REVIEW OF THE COMPENSATION RATES, WOULD GIVE LAND OWNERS GREATER SATISFACTION.

HẸ ADDED: +1 AM GRATEFUL TO THE KUK FOR ITS CONTRIBUTION AND PARTICIPATION IN THE FORMULATION OF THESE NEW ARRANGEMENTS. AS RECOMMENDED BY THE WORKING GROUP, CHAIRED BY SIR YUET-KEUNG KAN, COMPENSATION RATES FOR LAND OUTSIDE THE TOWNS ARE ALSO BEING REVIEWED.

+THESE MEASURES TOGETHER WITH AN UPDATING OF OTHER LEVELS OF COMPENSATION WILL GO SOME WAY TO AMEL FORATING THE UPHEAVAL IN THE LIVES OF THE MANY PEOPLE AFFECTED BY DEVELOPMENT.

SIR MURRAY ALSO REPLIED TO THREE POINTS RAISED IN THE SPEECH BY THE KUK'S CHAIRMAN, MR. WONG, EMPHASING THAT HE WAS SPEAKING +AGAINST A BACKGROUND OF GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE AND EFFORT IN AND FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES THAT HAS NEVER BEEN MATCHED AT ANY TIME IN THE HISTORY OF HONG KONG.+

ON HOUSING THE FIRST POINT RAISED BY MR. WONG - SIR MURRAY SAID THAT UNDER THE SMALL HOUSE POLICY, WHICH WAS APPROVED IN 1972 SO AS TO ENABLE VILLAGERS MORE EASILY TO BUILD HOUSES FOR THEMSELVES TO LIVE IN, A TOTAL OF 4,853 APPLICATIONS HAD BEEN APPROVED UP TO THE END OF MARCH THIS

YEAR.

+WHILE IT IS TRUE THAT THE SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES FOUND IT NECESSARY TO INTERRUPT THE PROCESSING OF APPLICATIONS IN SOME AREAS AT THE END OF LAST YEAR BECAUSE THE POLICY WAS BEING MISUSED ON A LARGE SCALE FOR PRIVATE PROFIT, I AM GLAD TO HEAR THAT RECENT DISCUSSIONS YOU HAVE HAD WITH THE SECRETARY HAVE HOPEFULLY RESOLVED THIS PROBLEM, + SIR MURRAY SAID. +BUT. I SHOULD ADD, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE SPIRIT OF THE POLICY SHOULD BE OBSERVED.+

ON THE PROVISION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PLACES, SIR MURRAY SAID THAT DURING THE INITIAL STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW TOWNS AND THE OPENING OF NEW SECONDARY SCHOOLS SO AS TO PROVIDE FREE JUNIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION, FOR PRACTICAL REASONS NEW SCHOOLS WILL NORMALLY ONLY OPERATE FORM CLASSES INITIALLY AND WILL EXTEND INTO HIGHER FORMS EACH YEAR THEREAFTER.

J

+HOWEVER A LIMITED NUMBER OF CLASSES IN FORMS 1 AND IT! WILL BE ALLOWED IN SOME OF THE NEW SCHOOLS THAT OPEN IN SEPTEMBER, + HE ADDED. +THE PROVISION OF NEW SCHOOLS TO ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL JUNIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION WILL SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVE THE REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF SCHOOLS IN KEEPING

WITH OUR AIM TO PROVIDE A PROPER BALANCE OF FACILITIES THROUGHOUT THE NEW TERRITORIES.+

/DEALING WITH .............