XN000022-1981-06-19 — Page 15

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 1981

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LAMMA ROCK CRUSHING PLANT OPENED

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MORE THAN 14 MILLION TONNES OF AGGREGATE WOULD BE REQUIRED BY THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IN HONG KONG THIS YEAR, THE ACTING DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, MR NICKY CHAN, SAID TODAY.

HE WAS SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF THE MAIN CRUSHING PLANT OF THE LAMMA ROCK PRODUCTS LTD. AT POK TUNG WAN QUARRY ON LAMMA

ISLAND.

MR CHAN SAID THAT THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY HAD EXPANDED RAPIDLY AS A RESULT OF HONG KONG'S REMARKABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH

IN RECENT YEARS.

+THE TOTAL VALUE OF ALL CONSTRUCTION WORK IN 1980 WAS SOME $13 000 MILLION, HE SAID.

+A MEASURE OF THIS RAPID EXPANSION CAN BE OBTAINED BY COMPAR ING THE EXPENDITURE 10 YEARS AGO, WHICH AMOUNTED TO JUST OVER $1 300 MILLION, EVEN WHEN CORRECTED TO CONSTANT PRICES USING 1973 AS A BASE, THE VALUE OF CONSTRUCTION WORK HAS INCREASED BY ALMOST 300 PER CENT.+

MR CHAN SAID THAT THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY'S PRINCIPAL BUILDING MATERIAL WAS CONCRETE. WHILE IT WAS STILL NECESSARY TO IMPORT CEMENT -- OR CLINKER FROM WHICH IT COULD BE MANUFACTURED →→ HONG KONG WAS FORTUNATE IN HAVING AN INDIGENOUS SOURCE OF NATURAL ROCK FROM WHICH CONCRETING AGGREGATES COULD BE PRODUCED.

THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PLANNING TO ENSURE THAT THERE IS ALWAYS AN ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF AGGREGATES FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY. PLANNING FOR THE POK TUNG WAN QUARRY BEGAN NINE YEARS AGO, AND IN 1978 TENDERS WERE CALLED INTERNATIONALLY FOR THE OPERATION OF THE QUARRY.

THE SUCCESSFUL TENDERER WAS THE LAMMA ROCK PRODUCTS LTD., A JOINT VENTURE BY TWO FRENCH COMPANIES DRAGAGES ET TRAVAUX PUBLICS, WHICH HAS LONG WORKED IN HONG KONG AND ENTERPRISES AUDEMARD, A QUARRY SPECIALIST WITH WORLD-WIDE INTERESTS.

MR CHAN SAID THAT THE COMMISSIONING OF THE PLANT, WHICH HAD AN ANNUAL CAPACITY OF 2.2 MILLION TONNES OF AGGREGATE, WOULD MAKE AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS MEETING THE DEMAND AND THUS THE CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG.

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