XN000022-1985-01-01 — Page 5

TUESDAY, JANUARY 1, 1985

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LITTERBUGS PAY HEAVILY FOR OFFENCE

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MORE THAN 8 000 PEOPLE IN THE NEW TERRITORIES WERE BROUGHT TO COURT FOR LITTER OFFENCES LAST YEAR.

THEY WERE, IN ALL, ORDERED TO PAY FINES TOTALLING $1.1 MILLION, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES SERVICES DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY.

SINCE THE LATEST CLEAN HONG KONG EXERCISE WAS LAUNCHED IN 1981, MORE THAN 43 000 LITTER BUGS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES HAVE PAID OUT $4.6 MILLION IN FINES.

THEY COULD HAVE MADE BETTER USE OF THE MONEY HAD THEY DISPOSED OF THE IR REFUSE IN A PROPER MANNER, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

AND BECAUSE OF THEIR LITTERING, THE COST OF CLEANING UP WAS ENORMOUS.

+MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF PUBLIC FUNDS COULD ALSO HAVE BEEN SAVED FOR BETTER COMMUNITY SERVICES, THE SPOKESMAN ADDED.

THE HIGHEST FINE PAID LAST YEAR IN THE NEW TERRITORIES ANTI-LITTER COURTS WAS $2 000 - IMPOSED SEPARATELY ON TWO PERSONS.

A COMPUTER IS BEING USED TO FIND OUT REPEAT OFFENDERS, OF WHICH THERE WERE 450 SINCE SEPTEMBER 1983.

THESE PEOPLE HAD TO PAY FINES TOTALLING $76 000 FOR THEIR OFFENCES.

THE SPOKESMAN WARNED THAT THE ANTI-LITTER DRIVE WOULD CONTINUE, IN THE EFFORT TO KEEP THE ENVIRONMENT CLEAN AND TIDY.

THE PENALTY FOR LITTERING A PUBLIC PLACE OR THROWING WASTE FROM PRIVATE CARS, GOODS VEHICLES OR MOTOR CYCLES, OR DUMP ING BUILDING RUBBLE COULD BE A FINE OF $5 000, AND A POSSIBLE JAIL SENTENCE OF SIX MONTHS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

MORE UC TRACKS TO KEEP JOGGERS GOING

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THE NUMBER OF JOGGING TRACKS IN THE URBAN DISTRICTS WILL BE MORE THAN DOUBLED IN THE NEXT SIX YEARS - GIVING THE ALREADY POPULAR SPORT OF JOGGING A FURTHER BIG BOOST IN THE PROCESS.

MR JOHN YOUNG, STAFF OFFICER (RECREATION) OF THE CITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT, RECALLED THAT JOGGING BEGAN TO BECOME POPULAR IN HONG KONG IN THE LATE 1970S, WHEN OFFICE WORKERS AND OTHERS WHO LED SEDENTARY LIVES LEARNED ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF DAILY PHYSICAL OUTDOOR EXERCISE.

/+PEOPLE ALSO