XN000022-1979-06-13 — Page 4

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 1979

SIR JACK'S NEXT STOP WAS TUEN MUN.

THEY ARRIVED THERE AT ABOUT 12.30 P.M. AND WAS MET BY THE DISTRICT OFFICER, MR. PETER NG AND THE PROJECT MANAGER, MR. STAN BARDEN.

HE WAS TAKEN TO THE ROOFTOP OF TOP COURT+ FOR A PANORAMIC VIEW OF THE NEW TOWN AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT IN TUEN MUN AIMED AT PROVIDING AN IMPROVED URBAN ENVIRONMENT WITH ADEQUATE COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES TO SERVE ITS RESIDENTS.

SIR JACK CONCLUDED HIS PROGRAMME TO THE NEW TERRITORIES BY VISITING TAI PO IN THE AFTERNOON.

THE TAI PO DISTRICT OFFICER, MR. PETER JOHNSON AND THE PROJECT MANAGER, MR. JEFFREY THOMAS, ACCOMPANIED SIR JACK TO A HIGH-RISE BUILDING WHERE HE WAS BRIEFED ON TAI PO'S LATEST DEVELOPMENT.

THE PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE OF THE PLAN TO EXPAND TAI PO, HE WAS TOLD, WAS TO DEVELOP A COMMUNITY WITHIN A MORE SATISFACTORY URBAN ENVIRONMENT HAVING AN ADEQUATE RANGE OF COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES FOR A TARGET POPULATION OF 220,000 BY 1986.

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EMPLOYMENT AT BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION SITES IN MID-MARCH 1979 ******

THE NUMBER OF MANUAL WORKERS ENGAGED AT BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION SITES DROPPED TO 71,581 IN MARCH 1979, ACCORDING TO A RECENT EMPLOYMENT SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

+THIS REPRESENTS A DECREASE OF 2,135 WORKERS OR 2.9 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH DECEMBER 1978, + A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

EMPLOYMENT ROSE BY 6,545 WORKERS OR 10 PER CENT OVER MARCH 1978, HE SAID.

OF THE 1,243 BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION SITES IN OPERATION IN MARCH, 343 WERE SITES CONTRACTED BY THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AND THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT.

THESE 343 SITES ACCOUNTED FOR 28,662 WORKERS, WHICH REPRESENTED A DECREASE OF 2,146 WORKERS OR SEVEN PER CENT OVER DECEMBER 1978.

EMPLOYMENT AT THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION SITES RECORDED A MARGINAL DECREASE OF 0.5 PER CENT TO 7,361 WORKERS.

FROM DECEMBER 1978 TO MARCH 1979, THE NUMBER OF WORKERS ENGAGED AT BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION SITES OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR INCREASED BY 0.1 PER CENT TO 35,558.

/DETAILED