XN000022-1980-08-03 — Page 3

N

SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 1980

THE PROPER STORAGE AND DISPOSAL OF ANIMAL WASTE, PARTICULARLY IN AREAS WHERE LEAKAGE OR SPILLAGE OF SUCH WASTE MIGHT BE HAZARDOUS TO PUBLIC HEALTH OR DETRIMENTAL TO THE ENVIRONMENT, WOULD BE PART OF A COMPREHENSIVE WASTE DISPOSAL PLAN TO BE PREPARED UNDER THE ORDINANCE, WHICH WOULD COVER THE COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL OF ALL KINDS OF WASTE.

+ IT IS FAR TOO EARLY TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ORDINANCE, MR WONG SAID.

+SUFFICE TO SAY, ITS ENACTMENT REFLECTS GOVERNMENT'S

DETERMINATION TO TACKLE THE POLLUTION PROBLEM,+

IN THE MEANT IME EFFORTS HAD BEEN MADE TO IMPROVE WASTE COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL SERVICE.

MR WONG SAID THERE WERE MANY ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.

+1 HAVE MENTIONED PIG AND CHICKEN WASTE, BUT THERE ARE OTHERS. FOR EXAMPLE, MANY SQUATTER FACTORIES ARE DISCHARGING HIGHLY POLLUTING EFFLUENTS INTO OUR STREAM COURSES EVERY DAY.-

BUT, HE SAID, IN DEVELOPING THE NEW TERRITORIES, GOVERNMENT HAD NOT LOST SIGHT OF THE NEED TO PRESERVE AND IMPROVE THE LIVING ENVIRONMENT, IN THE WIDEST SENSE OF THE WORD.

HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY IN PROGRESS

*****

THE CURRENT HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY, CONDUCTED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT AND THE HANG SENG BANK, WHICH IS AIMED AT UPDATING THE EXISTING CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES, WILL BE COMPLETED BY SEPTEMBER.

MR C.M. LEE, SENIOR STATISTICIAN OF THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT, SAID THAT MORE THAN 3 500 HOUSEHOLDS HAVE BEEN INTERVIEWED SINCE THE SURVEY STARTED IN OCTOBER 1979, AND THAT ABOUT 600 OTHER HOUSEHOLDS WILL BE INTERVIEWED DURING THE NEXT TWO MONTHS.

*THE SURVEY IS TO EXAMINE THE CONSUMPTION PATTERN OF HOUSEHOLDS IN ORDER TO PROVIDE A BASIS FOR UPDATING THE BASKETS OF GOODS AND SERVICES OF CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES AND THEIR WEIGHTS, SAID MR LEE.

THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES MEASURE THE CHANGES IN PRICES OF GOODS AND SERVICES CONSUMED BY HOUSEHOLDS AND RESULTS OF THE HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY DIRECTLY AFFECT THE ACCURACY OF THE CPIS - CPI (A), CPI (B) AND HANG SENG CPI.

MR LEE SAID THE CPIS ARE VERY IMPORTANT ECONOMIC INDICATORS, AFFECTING BOTH EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES. MANY EMPLOYERS (INCLUDING GOVERNMENT) TAKE THESE INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN ADJUSTING WAGES AND SALARIES AND VARIOUS KINDS OF LIVING ALLOWANCES OF THE IR EMPLOYEES. THE GOVERNMENT ALSO USES THEM IN MAKING ECONOMIC ANALYSES AND FORMULATING POLICIES IN VARIOUS ASPECTS.

/SINCE THE