XN000022-1981-08-19 — Page 2

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1981

ACTING GOVERNOR VISITS NEW TERRITORIES

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THE ACTING GOVERNOR, SIR JACK CATER, SPENT THE WHOLE OF TODAY (WEDNESDAY) IN THE NEW TERRITORIES BEING UPDATED ON DEVELOPMENTS THERE.

ACCOMPANIED BY SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SIR JACK FIRST SAW THE NEW TERRITORIES FROM THE AIR, FLYING OVER THE HONG KONG ELECTRIC COMPANY POWER STATION SITE ON LAMMA ISLAND AND THE CHINA LIGHT AND POWER COMPANY SITE AT TAP SHEK KOK. HE ALSO FLEW OVER TUEN MUN, YUEN LONG AND SHA TIN, BEFORE LANDING AT YEUNG UK ROAD PLAYGROUND IN TSUEN WAN,

FROM THE ROOF OF THE FOU WAH CENTRE IN CASTLE PEAK ROAD, SIR JACK WAS GIVEN DETAILS OF VARIOUS NEW TOWN DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, INCLUDING THE TSUEN WAN MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY EXTENSION, WHICH IS DUE TO BE IN OPERATION NEXT YEAR, BY THE ACTING TOWN MANAGER, MR LUI HAU-TUEN, AND THE PROJECT MANAGER, MR C.N. FONG.

HE WAS GIVEN THE LATEST INFORMATION ON PUBLIC HOUSING, TRANSPORT, AND PLANS TO DEVELOP A ROAD NETWORK TO COPE WITH THE TRAVEL NEEDS OF A POPULATION WHICH WILL RISE TO 1 000 000 BY THE LATE 1980'S FROM A PRESENT FIGURE OF 750 000.

IN TUEN MUN, SIR JACK WAS BRIEFED AT YAU OF ESTATE BY THE DISTRICT OFFICER, MR BILLY LAM, ON COMMUNITY AFFAIRS, INCLUDING EDUCATION AND SECURITY IN ESTATES, AND THE TRANSPORT SITUATION. DETAILS OF DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS WERE PROVIDED BY THE PROJECT MANAGER, MR NG TECK-SHENG.

TUEN MUN'S POPULATION, NOW ABOUT 120 000, WILL CLIMB TO NEARLY 600 000 BY 1990.

AFTER A WORKING LUNCH WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS BASED IN TUEN MUN DISTRICT, THE ACTING GOVERNOR TRAVELLED TO YUEN LONG WHERE HE WAS MET BY THE DISTRICT OFFICER, MR FUNG KWOK-KEUNG, WHO FROM A VANTAGE POINT TOLD HIM ABOUT PLANS TO FILL IN LOCAL FISH PONDS AND DEVELOP THEM INTO RESIDENTIAL AND INDUSTRIAL AREAS. PROJECTS TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC IN YUEN LONG WERE ALSO EXPLAINED.

SIR JACK THEN TRAVELLED TO TAI PO WHERE PROGRESS ON INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENTS AND PUBLIC HOUSING PROJECTS WERE OUTLINED BY THE DISTRICT OFFICER, MR NICKY LO.

THE FINAL CALL WAS SHA TIN, WHERE FROM A LOOKOUT POINT ABOVE THE HOME OWNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AT SUI WO COURT, SIR JACK WAS BRIEFED BY THE PROJECT MANAGER, MR KENNETH KWOK, AND THE ACTING DISTRICT OFFICERS, MR BOB WILSON AND MR AUGUSTINE CHENG. SHA TIN'S EVENTUAL POPULATION WILL BE 750 000.

THE TOUR ENDED WITH A DINNER HOSTED BY MR AKERS-JONES AND MRS AKERS-JONES AT ISLAND HOUSE, WHERE SIR JACK WAS JOINED BY LADY CATER.

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