XN000022-1983-01-11 — Page 8

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1983

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VILLAGE CLEANSING CONTRACTS AWARDED

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FOUR NEW TERRITORIES RURAL ORGANISATIONS WERE TODAY AWARDED EXTENDED CONTRACTS TO CONTINUE THE WORK OF CLEANSING THEIR VILLAGES FOR TWO MORE MONTHS.

THE NEW AGREEMENTS, WORTH $106 000, WILL ENABLE THE BODIES TO CONTINUE THE IR VILLAGE CLEANSING SERVICES, UNTIL ONE-YEAR CONTRACTS ARE DRAWN UP.

THE CONTRACTS WERE SIGNED TODAY BY THE DIRECTOR OF NEW TERRITORIES SERVICES, MR JOHN HEYWOOD, AND THE CONTRACTORS.

THE RURAL ORGANISATIONS ARE: WANG TO SHAN IN YUEN LONG, LUNG KWU TAAN IN TUEN MUN, AND TAI PO TSAI AND HANG HAU IN SAI KUNG.

MR HEYWOOD SAID THE FOUR VILLAGES WERE ON THE WHOLE MUCH CLEANER THAN BEFORE, AS A RESULT OF THE EARLIER PILOT CLEANSING SCHEME, WHICH LASTED EIGHT MONTHS.

+PERHAPS THE VILLAGERS ARE NOW SHOWING A GENUINE INTEREST IN KEEPING THEIR ENVIRONMENT CLEAN, WHEREAS PREVIOUSLY THEY TOOK THE GOVERNMENT CLEANSING SERVICE FOR GRANTED, MR HEYWOOD SAID.

PEOPLE WOULD THINK TWICE BEFORE DISCARDING THEIR RUBBISH IF THEY KNEW THEY HAD TO PICK IT UP AGAIN, MR HEYWOOD SAID.

THE GOVERNMENT HAD ALSO DECIDED TO EXTEND THESE CONTRACT CLEANSING SERVICE ARRANGEMENTS TO SEVERAL OTHER VILLAGES IN 1983/84, HE SAID.

TO BROADEN THE BASE OF THE EXPERIMENT AND GAIN EXPERIENCE IN A WIDER RANGE OF VILLAGES, THE PRESENT PILOT SCHEME WOULD COVER SEVEN VILLAGES INCLUDING THE EXISTING FOUR DURING THE NEXT FINANCIAL YEAR, IF THIS ARRANGEMENT CONTINUED TO PROVE SUCCESSFUL, THE NEW TERRITORIES SERVICES DEPARTMENT HOPED TO EXTEND IT TO MANY OTHER VILLAGES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES IN 1984, MR HEYWOOD EXPLAINED.

AUCTION OF LUNAR NEW YEAR FAIR STALL SITES

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A TOTAL OF 108 STALL SITES AT THE FORTHCOMING LUNAR NEW YEAR FAIR IN KWAI CHUNG WAS TAKEN UP AT A PUBLIC AUCTION TODAY (TUESDAY), LEAVING FOUR STALL SITES STILL AVAILABLE.

AT THE AUCTION THE HIGHEST PRICE FETCHED FOR A SITE SELLING FLOWERS WAS $700 AND A SITE FOR SELLING DRY GOODS WAS $300.

THE UPSET PRICE FOR EACH STALL SITE WAS $75, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES SERVICES DEPARTMENT SAID.

/TRADERS WHO