XN000022-1985-11-14 — Page 25

24

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1985

THE OBJECTIVE OF SETTING UP THESE DISTRICT COMMITTEES WAS TO MONITOR LOCAL DEVELOPMENTS AND TO ASSESS RESIDENTS' NEEDS AND TO RESPOND TO THE IR LEGITIMATE GRIEVANCES.

+THIS NETWORK OF LOCALLY ORIENTATED COMMITTEES WILL HELP US FACE UP TO THE CHALLENGE PRESENTED BY THE ON-GOING URBANISATION AND VARIED NATURE OF THE NEW TERRITORIES TOWNSHIPS - EACH OF WHICH HAS ITS OWN DISTINCT CHARACTERISTICS, NEEDS AND PROBLEMS, + MR HAMMOND SAID.

+AT THIS POINT IN OUR CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, i 1

THINK IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT INDEED TO DEVISE A BETTER WAY TO GIVE THE LOCAL PEOPLE A CLOSER INVOLVEMENT AND GREATER INFLUENCE IN MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL. +

TURNING TO THE REGIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, THE

EXECUTIVE ARM OF THE COUNCIL, MR HAMMOND SAID ITS TASK WAS NOT AN EASY ONE.

+ IT HAS TO SERVE SOME 1.8 MILLION RESIDENTS IN THE AREA, WHICH REPRESENTS ABOUT 32 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL POPULATION OF HONG KONG AND ITS 945 SQUARE KILOMETRES CONSTITUTE 38 PER CENT OF HONG KONG'S TOTAL LAND AREA, ALTHOUGH ADMITTEDLY MUCH OF THIS IS MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, HE SAID.

+ THE REGIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT HAS A TOTAL ESTABLISHMENT OF MORE THAN 8 500 STAFF. MOST OF THEM WORK IN THE NINE DISTRICT OFFICES OF THE DEPARTMENT, WHERE THEY SERVE AND RESPOND TO THE NEEDS OF THE LOCAL RESIDENTS.+

MR HAMMOND SAID THAT THE RANGE OF SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE RSD WAS SO WIDE THAT THE QUALITY OF ITS SERVICE HAS A DIRECT BEARING ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE RESIDENTS IN THE REGIONAL COUNCIL AREA.

HISTORICAL BOUNDARY STONE INSTALLED IN GARDEN *******

A BOUNDARY STONE, BELIEVED TO BE MORE THAN 700 YEARS OLD, HAS BEEN INSTALLED IN A GARDEN OUTSIDE THE MUI WO FERRY PIER ON LANTAU.

MEASURING 21 X 21 X 120 CM, THE STONE IS INSCRIBED WITH TWO CHINESE CHARACTERS ON THE TOP AND FOUR CHINESE CHARACTERS ON EACH SIDE MEANING THE TAXABLE LAND OF THE LI FEUDAL ESTATE.

ACCORING TO HISTORIANS, IT WAS ERECTED SOME TIME AFTER 1 265 A. TO MARK THE BOUNDARY OF THE ESTATE OF LI MAO-YING, A HIGH-RANKING OFFICIAL SERVING IN THE COURT OF THE SUNG EMPEROR.