XN000022-1979-08-14 — Page 2

TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 1979

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4.9 MILLION POPULATION AT END OF JUNE 1979

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THE ESTIMATED POPULATION AT THE END OF JUNE 1979 WAS 4,900,000, THE COMMISSIONER FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS SAID TODAY (TUESDAY).

THE FIGURE REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF 179,807 PEOPLE OVER THE END-1978 ESTIMATE.

THE INCREASE WAS MADE UP OF A GAIN OF 101,271 THROUGH THE BALANCE OF MIGRATION, A *PLUS+ OF 24,526 THROUGH THE BALANCE OF BIRTHS OVER DEATHS, AND AN INCREASE OF 54,010 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES AWAITING RESETTLEMENT IN THIRD COUNTRIES AT THE END OF JUNE 1979.

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THE TOTAL NUMBER OF BIRTHS FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 1979 WAS 37,339- THIS IS 1,545 HIGHER THAN THE FIGURE FOR THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR. THE INCREASE IN BIRTHS WAS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE GRADUAL INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF WOMEN IN THE CHILD-BEARING AGES OF 15-49.

THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 1979 WAS 12,813, AS COMPARED WITH THE CORRESPONDING FIGURE OF 12,279 RECORDED IN 1978. THE INCREASE IN DEATHS WAS ASSOCIATED DIRECTLY WITH THE INCREASING NUMBER OF OLD PEOPLE IN THE POPULATION.

THE FIGURES FOR BIRTHS AND DEATHS ARE BASED ON EVENTS OCCURRING DURING THE PERIOD JANUARY TO JUNE 1979 RATHER THAN REGISTRATIONS MADE AND THEREFORE DIFFER SLIGHTLY FROM THOSE RELEASED BY THE REGISTRAR' OF BIRTHS AND DEATHS.

MAJOR CONTRACT FOR TSUEN WAN SIGNED

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THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TODAY (TUESDAY) AWARDED A MAJOR ENGINEERING CONTRACT TO SHIMIZU CONSTRUCTION CO. LTD. FOR SITE' FORMATION, ROAD AND DRAINAGE WORKS IN TSUEN WAN NORTH.

THE CONTRACT, MORTH HORE THAN $61,2 MILLION FORMS PART OF THE TSUEN VAN NEW TOWN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

IT WAS SIGNED THIS MORNING BY MR. ROBIN SAUNDERS, CHIEF ENGINEER (NORTH) OF THE PWD'S TSUEN WAN NEW TOWN DEVELOPMENT OFFICE, AND MR. RIJURO JOZAKI, GENERAL MANAGER OF THE COMPANY,

MR. SAUNDERS SAID THAT UNDER THE CONTRACT 19.5 HECTARES GF LAND WOULD BE FORMED,

+PART OF THIS WILL BE USED AS RESITE AREAS FOR SEVERAL OF THE VILLAGES, INCLUDING MUK MIN HA AND PAK TIN PA, DISPLACED BY MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY WORK, HE SAID.

/+THESE RESITE .............