XN000022-1982-01-19 — Page 13

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 1982

INSIDE A DISTRICT BOARD

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1982 WILL BE THE YEAR OF DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION.

BY MARCH THE LAST FOUR UNESTABLISHED DISTRICT BOARDS WILL BE SET UP IN CENTRAL AND WESTERN (ONE DISTRICT), WAN CHAI, YAU MA TEI AND MONG KOK, JOINING THE 14 BOARDS WHICH ARE ALREADY WORK ING.

ELECTIONS FOR NEW TERRITORIES BOARDS WILL TAKE PLACE ON MARCH 4, AND THOSE FOR URBAN BOARDS WILL BE IN SEPTEMBER,

IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY IS AWARE OF THE INFLUENCE THE NEW ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM HAS ON THEM, AND OF THE BENEFITS IT BRINGS.

ONE SHOULD START WITH AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE SET-UP AND THE OPERATION OF DISTRICT BOARDS.

AT PRESENT, THE NUMBER OF MEMBERS AND SUB-COMMITTEES OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS DIFFER SLIGHTLY FROM DISTRICT TO DISTRICT, HAVING REGARD TO THEIR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES.

BUT THEIR FUNDAMENTAL COMPOSITION AND SET-UP IS SIMILAR. TYPICAL EXAMPLE CAN BE FOUND IN THE TSUEN WAN DISTRICT BOARD, WHICH IS ONE OF THE LARGEST IN HONG KONG,

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THE TSUEN WAN DISTRICT BOARD AT PRESENT COMPRISES 29 MEMBERS, INCLUDING 11 OFFICIAL MEMBERS (REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS WHICH ARE MOST CLOSELY INVOLVED WITH MANAGEMENT AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL), 15 UNOFFICIAL APPOINTED MEMBERS (CITIZENS ENGAGED IN DIFFERENT PROFESSIONS WHO HAVE BEEN ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY AFFAIRS) AND THREE RURAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN. THE BOARD IS HEADED BY THE TSUEN WAN TOWN MANAGER.

AFTER THE MARCH 4 ELECTION, FINAL MEMBERSHIP OF THE BOARD WILL BE 10 ELECTED MEMBERS, 13 APPOINTED UNOFFICIALS, 11 OFFICIALS AND THREE RURAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN.

LIKE ALL OTHER DISTRICT BOARDS, THERE IS A MAJORITY OF UNOFFICIALS ON THE TSUEN WAN DISTRICT BOARD BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER THE ELECTION.

URBAN DISTRICT BOARDS WILL COMPRISE OFFICIALS, APPOINTED UNOFFICIALS, URBAN COUNCIL MEMBERS AND ELECTED MEMBERS (AFTER THE SEPTEMBER ELECTION),

UNDER THE TSUEN WAN DISTRICT BOARD, THERE ARE SEVEN SUB- COMMITTEES DEALING WITH FINANCE, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT, CULTURAL AND ENTERTAINMENT ACTIVITIES, RECREATION AND SPORTS, INDUSTRIAL MATTERS (AND PUBLIC FACILITIES), SOCIAL SERVICES AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION (PROMOTION) RESPECTIVELY.

THE COMMITTEES HAVE AN AVERAGE OF 20 MEMBERS EACH, INCLUDING BOTH OFFICIAL AND UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS FROM THE BOARD ITSELF, AND A NUMBER OF OTHER PEOPLE CO-OPTED BY THE BOARD MEMBERS.

THESE COMMITTEES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR STUDYING THE QUESTIONS AT ISSUE AND MAKING PROPOSALS TO THE BOARD,

/THE BOARD