XN000022-1986-03-12 — Page 18

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 1986

HOWEVER HE SAID, THE ADMINISTRATION HAD AGAIN ASKED THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG THAT THE ANNUAL INTAKE OF THE LAW FACULTY BE EXPANDED TO 150 DURING THE 1988-91 TRIENNIUM AS ORIGINALLY PROPOSED FOR THE PRESENT TRIENNIUM.

+WHETHER OR NOT FURTHER INCREASES ARE WARRANTED WILL DEPEND ON THE DEMAND FOR LAWYERS IN THE 1990S AND THAT WILL BE KEPT UNDER REVIEW OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS,+ MR HENDERSON SAID.

POLLUTION CONTROL EFFORT TO AFFECT ALL

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THE PROPOSED NEW MEASURES FOR THE CONTROL OF POLLUTION CAUSED BY ANIMAL WASTE WILL BE APPLIED TO THE WHOLE TERRITORY IN THREE PHASES OVER NINE YEARS AND EVENTUALLY ALL OF THE 9 100 LIVESTOCK KEEPERS WILL BE AFFECTED, THE SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE, THE HON JOHN CHAMBERS TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

IN A WRITTEN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON TAI CHIN-WAH, MR CHAMBERS SAID IMPROPER DISPOSAL OF ANIMAL WASTE BY LIVESTOCK FARMERS HAD ALWAYS BEEN A PROBLEM.

IN ITS ATTEMPT TO COMBAT POLLUTION CAUSED BY ANIMAL WASTE, THE GOVERNMENT HAD EMBARKED ON A NUMBER OF PILOT SCHEMES TO SEE HOW THE COLLECTION SERVICES COULD BE IMPROVED, HE SAID.

+PILOT SCHEMES AT FANLING AND HUNG SHUI KIU WERE INITIATED BY THE FORMER NEW TERRITORIES SERVICES DEPARTMENT IN 1978 AND 1982 RESPECTIVELY FOR THE PURPOSES OF OBTAINING PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE AND INFORMATION ON COSTINGS FOR FUTURE PLANNING, * MR CHAMBERS SAID,

+THESE EXPERIMENTS SHOWED THAT COLLECTION OF ANIMAL WASTE BY CONTRACTORS IS WORKABLE BUT TO BE COST-EFFECTIVE ITS IMPLEMENTATION WOULD REQUIRE THE FULL CO-OPERATION OF LIVESTOCK FARMERS.

+TERRITORY-WIDE PROVISION OF COLLECTION SERVICES WOULD ALMOST CERTAINLY NOT BE AN ECONOMIC PROPOSITION. THE TWO PILOT SCHEME S HAVE BEEN TERMINATED, HE SAID.

MR CHAMBERS NOTED THAT ANOTHER PILOT SCHEME WAS INTRODUCED IN 1982 AT PAT HEUNG BY THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT AS PART OF THE PROGRAMME UNDER THE CLEAN HONG KONG CAMPAIGN,

+THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE SCHEME WAS TO PROVIDE RAW ANIMAL MANURE AS INPUT TO THE NGAU TAM MEI COMPOSTING PLANT IN AN EFFORT TO STUDY THE FEASIBILITY OF RECYCLING ANIMAL MANURE, HE SAID.

/+THE SCHEME