ENG-1979 — Page 311

CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

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Financial Secretary's Budget Speech; the 1979-80 Budget: Economic Background; various government Green and White Papers; the Hong Kong Annual Report (Hong Kong 1980); the Royal Hong Kong Police Force 1978 Annual Report; Report of the Working Party on the Comprehensive Review of the Workmen's Compensation Ordinance; Report of the Public Services Commission, Hong Kong, for the year 1978; Report of the Advisory Com- mittee on Diversification; the 1978 Hong Kong Narcotics Report; First Report on Civil Service Pay by the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service; Survey Report on Metrication in Everyday Consumer Activities; Agreement between the Kowloon-Canton Railway and the Chinese Authority; and the Report of the UMELCO Police Group, 1978.

The division also continued to sponsor a youth cultural and arts competition that included contests in Chinese translation, writing, speech making, inter-school debate, calligraphy and painting, and radio quizzes on the knowledge of Chinese philosophy, culture and literature. The objective of these contests is to promote interest in the study of the Chinese language and culture, and to raise the standard of Chinese among the younger members of the community.

New Territories Administration

The New Territories is administered as an integral part of Hong Kong, but in a different way from the urban areas of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. The New Territories comes under a district office system with the district officer largely drawing his authority from his responsibilities as a land officer.

The system has been modified accordingly to keep pace with the changing times. These changes have become more evident in the past few years with the development of six new towns which will house some two million people, smaller-scale public development in various rural areas, and considerable private development. The six new towns are Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun, Sha Tin, Yuen Long, Tai Po and the Fanling-Sheung Shui-Shek Wu Hui region.

Since 1974, the New Territories Administration has been headed by a secretary who has the overall responsibility for co-ordinating all government activities in the New Territories, particularly those relating to development, community building and services, land, and security. The secretary remains the land authority, which means that the main executive functions of the administration are tied to the allocation, disposal, acquisition and control of land.

The wide-ranging urban development in the New Territories has necessitated an in- creased commitment to community relations. Traditional links between the government and the people have been through the rural leaders elected to the 27 rural committees of the New Territories. These rural leaders have, in turn, formed the nucleus of the Heung Yee Kuk, a statutory body which advises the government on New Territories' matters. The changing character of the region has brought with it new, urban-based organisations such as mutual aid committees, fight crime committees, and groups with interests in the arts, recreation and sport, and a host of other community activities.

In 1977, the traditional rural and newer, urban-based organisations were brought together in each administrative district to form district advisory boards. These boards have a majority of unofficial members representing a wide cross-section of each local community. They advise the government on all matters affecting the well-being of their communities and have funds to promote cultural and sporting activities, and to implement minor environ- mental improvements. The boards already have made an impact and response to their initiatives and activities has been very encouraging. The boards are not intended to dispense