XN000022-1980-09-22 — Page 3

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1980

FIRE IS BIGGEST THREAT TO COUNTRYSIDE

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THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT'S ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF CONSERVATION AND COUNTRY PARKS, MR JOHN WHOLEY, SAID THIS (MONDAY) EVENING THAT FIRE WAS UNDOUBTEDLY THE BIGGEST SINGLE THREAT TO THE COUNTRYSIDE, IN TERMS OF ITS SCENIC APPEARANCE AND ITS VALUE AS A RECREATIONAL RESOURCE FOR THE PEOPLE.

AT A DINNER OF THE Y'S MEN'S CLUB OF VICTORIA, HE SAID ALL HILL FIRES IN HONG KONG COULD BE ATTRIBUTED TO HUMAN CARELESSNESS, NATURAL CAUSES, HE SAID, SUCH AS LIGHTNING STRIKES AND SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION WERE VIRTUALLY UNKNOWN HERE.

MR WHOLEY POINTED OUT THAT DURING THE LAST TEN YEARS THERE HAD BEEN MORE THAN 500 OUTBREAKS OF FIRE EACH YEAR IN THE COUNTRY PARKS.

+ IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT ALL HILL FIRES START SMALL AND ANY ONE OF THESE OUTBREAKS COULD EASILY HAVE DEVELOPED

INTO THE SORT OF FIRE WHICH LAST NOVEMBER BURNED FOR 29 HOURS DAMAGING 500 HECTARES OF LAND AND A QUARTER OF A MILLION TREES.+

WITH THE CHUNG YEUNG FESTIVAL +ONLY A FEW WEEKS AWAY, + MR WHOLEY SAID HE HOPED THE HONG KONG PEOPLE, IN OBSERVING THE AGE OLD TRADITIONS OF CLEANING THEIR FAMILY GRAVES, WOULD EXERCISE EXTRA CARE IN HANDLING CANDLES, JOSS STICKS AND PAPER MONEY, AS THESE ITEMS WERE THE MAIN CAUSES OF HILL FIRES.

HE RECALLED THAT DURING THE CHUNG YEUNG PERIOD LAST YEAR THERE WERE 145 FIRES OVER THE THREE DAYS OF WHICH 67 WERE INSIDE OR THREATENED COUNTRY PARKS. DURING CHUNG YEUNG IN 1978 THERE WERE 99 FIRES INSIDE COUNTRY PARKS.

HE HOPED THAT IN TIME, THROUGH EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY, THE ORDINARY MAN IN THE STREET WOULD BECOME MORE CONSCIOUS OF THE FIRE PROBLEM IN HIS COUNTRY PARKS AND LEARN TO RESPECT THE COUNTRYSIDE AS A RECREATIONAL RESOURCE.

MR WHOLEY SAID THE NUMBER OF VISITORS TO THE COUNTRYSIDE HAD BEEN RISING STEADILY BY ABOUT 40 PER CENT PER ANNUM AND LAST YEAR MORE THAN SEVEN MILLION PEOPLE VISITED THE COUNTRYSIDE.

GOVERNMENT ASSISTS IN BUILDING VILLAGE OFFICES

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TSUEN WAN DISTRICT OFFICER, MR LUI HAU-TUEN, SAID TODAY (MONDAY) THE DISTRICT OFFICE WAS PREPARED TO ASSIST IN GRANTING LAND TO BUILD VILLAGE OFFICES.

MR LU! WAS SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF A VILLAGE OFFICE AT CHUEN LUNG IN TSUEN WAN DISTRICT.

HE SAID TSUEN WAN WAS A PROSPEROUS NEW TOWN WHERE BOTH NEW COMMUNITY BUILDING AND TRADITIONAL VILLAGE DEVELOPMENTS WERE PROGRESSING ACTIVELY.

THE OPENING