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in the areas being developed. But, this is only one side of the picture, on the other side, we can see that many villages are being urbanized and the economy of the community begins to prosper as a consequence. The N.T. Heung Yee Kuk supports the Hong Kong Government's plan to bring about an overall development to the N.T., as long as all the N.T. residents may thus share the benefits of the development. However, if for the sake of develop- ment the land of the villagers were resumed by the Government without reasonable compensation, or, their homes demolished without proper rehousing and their businesses and living environment interrupted without appropriate reprovision, then the N.T. Heung Yee Kuk would have to assume the responsibility of negotiation with the Government. The organization of this Delegation to the United Kingdom is the most outstanding amongst the series of actions initiated by the N.T. Heung Yee Kuk over the years.
Society must progress.
The more complicated the social affairs, the more social problems there will be. The New Territories, long suppressed under colonial jurisdiction, still finds the existence of "privileged legislation" as well as "high-handed administration". Therefore, in view of the Government's various mistakes in the past, we are of the opinion that, unless a fair system is now established as the criterion for solving social problems, the work of this Delegation has merely begun and we would be back here again!
In short, the basic aims of the N.T. Heung Yee Kuk are to promote the three-sided relationship between the U.K., Hong Kong and the N.T., to safeguard the interests of all parties concerned, and to bring about the sharing of the fruits of social progress. We will still be working towards this direction in future.
We would need the help of our friends, the support of our clansmen abroad, the backing of the N.T. residents, and, above all, the assistance and guidance of both the British and the Hong Kong Governments before we could build a society of fairness in the New Territories. It is the duty of this Delegation to try to win the support from all quarters to enable us to reform the N.T.
Through our extensive contacts during this visit, we have obtained much sincere friendship as well as warm affection from our clansmen here, we reckon this as the foundation to our success setting the foundation on which to build the future successes of our work.
The dinner party we have prepared for you tonight is but a small token of our appreciation for all that you have done for us. Of course, it is not sufficient to show our heart-felt gratitude.
Thank you!
Lastly, we propose a toast to your good health!