XN000022-1981-07-07 — Page 5

TUESDAY, JULY 7, 1981

+AN INTERESTING FACT IS THAT MOST LOCAL APPLICANTS NOW PREFER TO ADOPT GIRLS RATHER THAN BOYS, ALTHOUGH WITH OVERSEAS CHINESE, BOYS STILL HAVE AN EDGE- AND THE PREFERRED AGE IS BELOW TWO YEARS, SHE SAID.

SHE SAID CHINESE APPLICANTS WERE GENERALLY CONCERNED WITH THE CHILD'S FAMILY BACKGROUND AND WOULD ONLY CONSIDER NORMAL, HEALTHY CHILDREN WITH A CLEAR SOCIAL AND MEDICAL BACKGROUND, WHILE EXPATRIATE APPLICANTS WERE MORE RECEPTIVE TOWARDS DISABLED CHILDREN AND PARENTAL BACKGROUND WAS NOT AN OVER-RIDING CONSIDERATION.

ALL LOCAL AND OVERSEAS ADOPTIONS ARE HANDLED BY THE

DEPARTMENT'S ADOPTION UNIT IN CAUSEWAY BAY, OF WHICH A SUB-OFFICE WILL BE SET UP IN YAU MA TEI DISTRICT NEXT YEAR FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF RESIDENTS IN KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES.

ONLY LITTLE WATER FROM LYNN ***

TROPICAL STORM LYNN HAS SO FAR BROUGHT ABOUT SIX MILLION CUBIC METRES OF WATER, OR JUST A LITTLE MORE THAN FOUR DAYS' CONSUMPTION, THE DIRECTOR OF WATER SUPPLIES, MR WILLIAM TUCKER, SAID TODAY.

BUT MORE RAIN WATER FROM THE STORM IS EXPECTED TO FLOW INTO THE RESERVOIRS DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

DESPITE THIS, THE WATER STORAGE POSITION WAS STILL +UNHEALTHY+ COMPARED WITH THE SITUATION AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR, MR TUCKER SAID.

HE REPEATED HIS APPEAL TO THE PUBLIC TO DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO CONSERVE WATER AND AVOID WASTE.

AT 9 AM TODAY, THE STORAGE STOOD AT 220.124 MILLION CUBIC METRES OR 38.1 PER CENT OF THE CAPACITY, COMPARED WITH 328.828 MILLION CUBIC METRES OR 56.9 PER CENT AT THE SAME TIME LAST YEAR.

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