XN000022-1983-06-21 — Page 10

TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 1983

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DEMANDING ROLE FOR RURAL COMMITTEES

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INCREASING DEMANDS WERE BEING MADE ON MEMBERS OF THE RURAL COMMITTEES WITH THE ADVENT OF THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DISTRICT BOARDS, THE REGIONAL SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR IAN MACPHERSON, SAID TODAY (TUESDAY).

+CONSULTATION AND PARTICIPATION ARE NOW SOUGHT OVER A WIDE RANGE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS ISSUES, AND THIS HAS REQUIRED CONSIDERABLE ADDITIONAL WORK ON THE PART OF RURAL COMMITTEES TO ADAPT AND MODIFY THEIR ORGANISATION AND THEIR CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION,+ HE SAID.

HE ADDED THAT AS A RESULT, THE COMMITTEES COULD RESPOND EFFECTIVELY TO, AND HELP DISSEMINATE IDEAS ON, GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND THEIR IMPLEMENTATION.

MR MACPHERSON WAS SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF A NEW OFFICE BUILDING OF THE PAT HEUNG RURAL COMMITTEE, LOCATED NEAR THE KAM TIN ROAD.

HE SAID HE WAS PLEASED TO SEE THAT THE PAT HEUNG RURAL COMMITTEE HAD MET THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGING TIMES AND HAD BEEN PARTICULARLY ACTIVE IN CONTRIBUTING TOWARDS ACTIVITIES AFFECTING THE WELFARE OF PAT HEUNG AND THE YUEN LONG DISTRICT AS A WHOLE.

THE TWO-STOREY BUILDING, WITH AN AREA OF 130 SQUARE METRES, HAS A CONFERENCE ROOM, AN OFFICE AND A JUNIOR POLICE CLUBHOUSE.

IT WOULD PROVIDE A USEFUL FOCUS FOR THE PAT HEUNG COMMUNITY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF RURAL AFFAIRS, HE ADDED,

REFERRING TO A NUMBER OF ISSUES RAISED BY THE COMMITTEE'S CHAIRMAN, MR TANG TAK-KAU, MR MACPHERSON SAID THAT THREE PRE-VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS WOULD BE COMPLETED IN TUEN MUN AND ONE IN YUEN LONG BY 1985 WHILE A TECHNICAL INSTITUTE WAS BEING PLANNED FOR TUEN MUN.

ON THE ISSUE OF TEMPORARY STRUCTURES, MR MACPHERSON NOTED THAT THE YUEN LONG DISTRICT OFFICE HAD SET UP A WORKING GROUP WITH THE SIX LOCAL RURAL COMMITTEES TO LOOK INTO THE MATTER.

MR MACPHERSON ALSO ASSURED THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS THAT THE GOVERNMENT FULLY RECOGNISED THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PAT HEUNG PLAIN AS A PRIORITY AREA FOR HONG KONG'S AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION,

+PAT HEUNG IS CLOSE TO THE KADOOR IE EXPERIMENTAL FARM AT KUN YAM SHAN AND THE SITE FOR THE HKU FIELD RESEARCH STATION, ON WHICH CONSTRUCTION WILL START LATER THIS YEAR.

THERE WILL

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