XN000022-1981-02-13 — Page 5

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1981

FLOATING POPULATION DECLINES

****

PRELIMINARY FINDINGS OF THE 1981 MARINE CENSUS SHOW THERE HAS BEEN A CONTINUOUS DECREASE IN HONG KONG'S FLOATING POPULATION OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS.

THE LATEST HEADCOUNT SHOWS THAT THE SIZE OF THE FLOATING POPULATION IS ABOUT 50 000, AS COMPARED WITH 137 000 IN THE 1961 MARINE CENSUS, 80 000 IN 1971, AND 59 000 IN 1976.

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY (FRIDAY) THE HEADCOUNT, WHICH WAS PROVISIONAL, INCLUDED ALL DWELLERS ON FISHING VESSELS, BARGES, LIGHTERS, HOUSE BOATS AND STATIONARY BOATS. CENSUS.

MORE THAN 10 000 VESSELS WERE ENUMERATED IN THE

+FINAL RESULTS OF THE MARINE CENSUS, WHICH WILL INCLUDE DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE SOCIAL, DEMOGRAPHIC AND ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FLOATING POPULATION, WILL BE AVAILABLE TOWARDS THE END OF THIS YEAR ALONG WITH THE RESULTS OF THE LAND CENSUS, HE SAID.

THE MARINE CENSUS, CONDUCTED BETWEEN FEBRUARY 1 AND 4, WAS THE FIRST PART OF A FULL-SCALE DECENNIAL CENSUS AIMED AT OBTAINING BENCHMARK INFORMATION ON THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF HONG KONG.

THE 1981 LAND CENSUS WILL BE CONDUCTED FROM MARCH 6 TO 15.

ENUMERATORS CARRYING A RED SATCHEL AND A GREEN CENSUS OFFICER IDENTITY CARD BEARING THE HOLDER'S NAME AND PHOTOGRAPH WILL VISIT ALL HOUSEHOLDS IN HONG KONG.

SERVICE GROUPS ROLE IN DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION

****

VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS HAVE TWO ROLES TO PLAY IN DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION PARTICIPATE IN ITS WORK AND TO ENCOURAGE THEIR MEMBERS TO BE ELECTED TO THE DISTRICT BOARDS.

THIS WAS STATED BY THE DIRECTOR OF HOME AFFAIRS, MR GRAHAM BARNES AT THE KWUN TONG ROTARY CLUB MEETING THIS (FRIDAY) EVENING,

ITH THE BEST WILL IN THE WORLD, NO BOARD OF A MANAGEABLE SIZE, EVEN IF ELECTED, CAN EVER HOPE TO BE ABLE TO PRODUCE SINGLE- HANDĖD ALL THE IDEAS AND SCHEMES FOR IMPROVEMENT WHICH EACH DISTRICT NEEDS,+ MR BARNES SAID.

IT WAS HOPED THAT MEMBERS OF MAJOR DISTRICT ORGANISATIONS ON THE DISTRICT BOARDS WOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEIR RELATIONSHIPS TO TIE THEIR OWN ORGANISATIONS MORE CLOSELY TO THE SYSTEM, HE SAID.

HE BELIEVED THAT MANY ASSOCIATIONS COULD PLAY AN ACTIVE ROLE IN ENCOURAGING CANDIDATES TO COME FORWARD, IN HELPING THEM IN THE IR ELECTION CAMPAIGNS. IN ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO REGISTER FOR ELECTIONS AND FINALLY IN VOTING.

J

/MR BARNES