XN000022-1981-09-04 — Page 8

7

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1981

PEOPLE KEEN TO MOVE TO NEW TOWNS

***

ALTHOUGH THE NEW TERRITORIES CAN SOMETIMES APPEAR TO BE

ONE VAST BUILDING SITE, EFFORTS ARE BEING MADE TO ENSURE THAT THE NEW TOWNS BECOME COMMUNITIES WHERE PEOPLE LIVE FULL AND VARIED LIVES AND WHICH THEY ARE PROUD TO CALL HOME.

THIS WAS SAID TODAY (FRIDAY) BY DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR THE

NEW TERRITORIES, MR AUGUSTINE CHUI KAM, AT A LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE LIONS CLUB OF HONG KONG CENTRAL.

MR CHUI SAID HE DID NOT WANT TO GIVE THE IMPRESSION THAT THE NEW TOWNS AS THEY STOOD WERE UNATTRACTIVE CONCRETE WASTELANDS.

THERE WAS NOW A FOUR-TO-FIVE YEAR WAIT FOR HOUSING IN

TUEN MUN, 20 MILES FROM KOWLOON.

+MANY THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES ARE ONLY TOO EAGER TO GET AWAY FROM CROWDED CONDITIONS AND SQUALID SURROUNDINGS TO THE FRESH AIR AND FRESH OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR. CHUI SAID.

THESE PEOPLE HAD TO BE BOUND TOGETHER IN A WEB OF RELATIONSHIPS IN THE IR NEW ENVIRONMENT.

AS WELL AS HOMES TO LIVE IN, JOBS TO GO TO, AND SCHOOLS TO ATTEND, THEY MUST HAVE CLUBS AND ASSOCIATIONS TO JOIN WHERE THEY CAN DEVELOP THEIR INTERESTS, MAKE NEW FRIENDS AND ENJOY THE IR FREE TIME.

THIS MEANT THAT THE VARIOUS YOUTH GROUPS HAD TO EXPAND THE IR ACTIVITIES AND ORIENTATE THEMSELVES MUCH MORE TOWARDS THE NEW TERRITORIES THAN IN THE PAST.

+ IN SOME CASES THEY MAY HAVE TO REGIONALISE THEIR

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH THIS, MR CHUI SAID.

A GREAT DEAL OF EFFORT WAS GOING INTO BOOSTING CULTURAL ACTIVITY IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.

THIS BOOST CAME AT A TIME WHEN A RING OF AIR-CONDITIONED HALLS WAS BEGINNING TO APPEAR THERE.

IN TSUEN WAN THE TOWN HALL HAD BEEN OPEN FOR WELL OVER A YEAR THE LUT SAU HALL IN YUEN LONG OPENED RECENTLY- AND THE NORTH DISTRICT TOWN HALL IN SHEUNG SHUI WAS NEAR ING COMPLETION.

HALLS SIMILAR TO THAT IN TSUEN WAN WERE TO BE CONSTRUCTED IN SHA TIN AND TUEN MUN FOR COMPLETION IN 1984/85 AND A SMALLER- SCALE FACILITY WAS BEING PROVIDED IN SAI KUNG.

THE FOUR-WEEK LONG TSUEN WAN ARTS FESTIVAL WAS NOW WELL ESTABLISHED AND ATTENDANCE THIS YEAR AVERAGED A VERY ENCOURAGING 80 PER CENT.

BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF THIS FINANCIAL YEAR ALL SEVEN MAINLAND NEW TERRITORIES DISTRICTS WOULD HOLD FESTIVALS.

THESE PROVIDED