Curfew for juveniles, an opium raid and a visit by Edward Kennedy: headlines from four decades ago
A journey back through time to look at some significant news and events reported by the South China Morning Post from this week in history
Hong Kong was headed towards a new era in computing with the government applying the technology widely in the running of the administration as reported by the Post four decades ago this week. In other news, the authorities were considering adopting flexible working hours to alleviate peak hour traffic in a bid to cope with an increasing population of workers.
January 8, 1978
● China was to issue traveller’s cheques in renminbi from January 20. They would be in 50 and 100 yuan denominations. According to Bank of China officials in Hong Kong, the cheques could be purchased at the 13 branches in the city and a branch in Macau. The cheques would be valid for six months from the date of purchase.
● Macau’s government signed a HK$120 million contract with a local consortium for a Coloane Island development. The consortium, headed by a number of prominent Hong Kong and Macau businessmen including Ho Yin, Stanley Ho and Roque Chiu, would lease a 1,028,825 square metre (11 million sq ft) site at Hak Sa Beach. It would generate about HK$1 million a year for the Macau government, and a tourist complex would be built over a 25-year period.
January 9, 1978
● Community leaders welcomed the idea of imposing a curfew for juveniles as was done in many American cities. They said the measure would help reduce crime by juvenile offenders and prevent them from being exposed to “bad elements”. According to the law in some US cities, anyone under 14 was prohibited from being “on a sidewalk, street, alley or public place after 10pm”. Those under 18 were given until midnight to return home.
