XN000022-1980-11-24 — Page 6

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1980

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+ALL THESE ARE OF GREAT CONCERN TO THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF TAI PO BUT ULTIMATELY IT IS YOU YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WILL LIVE HERE WHO WILL DETERMINE WHETHER THE FUTURE TAI PO WILL BE PROSPEROUS AND LIVELY, WHERE PEOPLE CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER, OR WILL DE DULL, DIRTY, AND SELFISH.+

MR AKERS-JONES SAID IT WAS ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE THAT THIS TIME NEXT YEAR THE POPULATION OF TAI PO WOULD BE DOUBLE WHAT IT WAS TODAY - FROM 30 000 TO 60 000,

MOREOVER PILING FOR THE NEXT HOUSING ESTATE AT YUEN CHAU TSAI HAD STARTED AND IN THREE YEARS' TIME ANOTHER 35 000 PEOPLE WOULD MOVE IN.

A MASTER PLAN FOR THE CENTRE OF TAI PO NEW TOWN HAD BEEN PREPARED AND WOULD BE IMPLEMENTED BY PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT STARTING NEXT YEAR.

TEN FACTORIES WOULD BE OPERATING IN THE TAI PO INDUSTRIAL ESTATE BY THE END OF THIS YEAR AND MORE NEW FACTORIES PROVIDING EMPLOYMENT WERE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.

MR AKERS-JONES SAID RECLAMATION OF TAI PO HOI WAS RAPIDLY PROCEED ING.

+BEHIND YOUR SCHOOL, THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW TAI PO STATION FOR THE ELECTRIC RAILWAY WILL START SHORTLY AND SO WILL THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW COASTAL ROAD FROM SHA TIN TO TAI PO AND AROUND TAI PO TO FANLING, HE SAID.

HE TOLD THE STUDENTS THEY WOULD REMEMBER 1980 AS THE YEAR OF THE IR PRIZE-GIVING: THEY WOULD REMEMBER IT AS THE YEAR THE SEA WAS FILLED IN, THE LAST YEAR WHEN, PERHAPS, THEY COLLECTED CLAMS FROM THE SEASHORE.

+THESE NEED NOT BE SAD MEMORIES, IF WE SUCCEED IN BUILDING AT TAI PO A TOWN TO BE PROUD OF AND A HAPPY, HEALTHY SOCIETY.✦

MR AKERS-JONES SAID PROPOSALS TO GIVE GREATER OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN LOCAL AFFAIRS WOULD OPEN UP NEW AVENUES FOR THE STUDENTS TO JOIN IN THE SEARCH FOR NEW SOLUTIONS TO OLD PROBLEMS IN A NEW ENVIRONMENT.

+YOUR SCHOOL AND TEACHERS HAVE GIVEN YOU A SOLID PREPARATION FOR YOUR NEW ROLE IN SOCIETY, AND I AM SURE YOU WILL MEET THE NEW CHALLENGE WITH COURAGE, UNSELFISHNESS AND CONCERN FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE COMMUNITY, + HE SAID.

THE BISHOP MOK SAU TSENG SECONDARY SCHOOL, WHICH IS IN TAI PO MARKET, OPENED IN 1975 AND NOW HAS MORE THAN 1 100 STUDENTS IN 30 CLASSES.

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