XN000022-1984-03-13 — Page 4

TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 1984

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COMMENTS ON PROPOSALS MORE THAN WELCOME"

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PUBLIC DEBATE ON THE PROPOSED CHANGES IN THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL ADMINISTRATION CONTINUES TO BE LIVELY AND INTERESTING, THE REGIONAL SECRETARY FOR NEW TERRITORIES, MR IAN MACPHERSON, SAID THIS (SDAY) EVENING.

MANY NEW IDEAS AND THOUGHTFUL PROPOSALS HAVE BEEN PUT FORWARD, HE ADDED.

+WE ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO ALL OPINIONS WHICH HAVE BEEN EXPRESSED - THESE WILL BE COLLATED, CONSOLIDATED AND REFLECTED TO THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT SO THAT INFORMED FINAL DECISIONS CAN BE TAKEN, HE SAID.

MR MACPHERSON WAS SPEAKING AT A REGULAR GATHERING OF THE LIONS CLUB OF THE NEW TERRITORIES.

HE STRESSED THAT WHILE THE PROPOSED REGIONAL COUNCIL FOR THOSE AREAS NOT COVERED BY THE URBAN COUNCIL HAD ATTRACTED MOST ATTENTION IN THE CURRENT PUBLIC DEBATE, THE OTHER PROPOSALS WERE OF NO LESS SIGNIFICANCE.

THESE OTHER PROPOSALS ARE FOR AN INCREASE IN THE SIZE OF ELECTED ELEMENT TO STRENGTHEN THE REPRESENTATIVE STATUS OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS FOR THE SETTING UP OF MORE BOARDS IN SOME LARGE AND COMPLEX DISTRICTS- AND FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE URBAN MANAGEMENT ROLE OF DISTRICT BOARDS TO ASSIST IN AND PROMOTE THE USE OF CERTAIN LOCAL COMMUNITY FACILITIES.

REFERRING TO THE PROPOSED REGIONAL COUNCIL, MR MACPHERSON SAID IT WAS A PITY THAT THE ISSUE HAD BEEN PORTRAYED AS A STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE URBAN COUNCIL AND THE HEUNG YEE KUK.

HE ADDED THAT THE CONSULTATION RANGED MUCH MORE WIDELY THAN THE HEUNG YEE KUK AND INVOLVED ALL THE 18 DISTRICT BOARDS AND MANY OTHER ORGANISATIONS WHICH SPEAK FOR A CROSS-SECTION OF ALL THE PEOPLE.

+YOU WILL NOTE THAT I HAVE ALL THE TIME REFERRED TO THE REGIONAL COUNCIL, NOT TO THE NEW TERRITORIES COUNCIL AND CERTAINLY NOT TO THE 'NORTH' COUNCIL, HE SAID.

HE SAID THERE WAS +CLEAR LOGIC AND OBVIOUS MERIT+ IN RECOGNISING THE FACT THAT THE NEW TERRITORIES - NOW WITH 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE AND REACHING WELL OVER TWO MILLION BY 1988 - WAS READY FOR ITS OWN LOCAL COUNCIL AS A VIABLE LOCAL ADMINISTRATION UNIT IN PURELY PRACTICAL, LET ALONE POLITICAL TERMS.

THE NEW COUNCIL, IF ESTABLISHED, WOULD PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE AREA TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF THE SERVICES AND FACILITIES IN THE DISTRICTS.

/+NO DOUBT