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2. IT IS, HOWEVER, MORE DIFFICULT TO ARGUE THAT CIRCUMSTANCES PRESENT THE BRITISH APPLICANTS QUOTE WITH EXCEPTIONAL DIFFICULTIES UNQUOTE. THE MAIN PROBLEM IS THE EXTREME COMPETIT-
YOU IVENESS OF JAPANESE AND LOCAL BIDS FOR THE CIVILS. BUT, SHOULD. KNOW THAT THE G-K-L CONTRACT FOR THE MIS IS IN SERIOUS DANGER OF RUNNING 5 MONTHS LATE. THEY HAVE CERTAINLY LOST ALL SPARE TIME. THOMPSON, CHAIRMAN OF MTR, TELLS ME THAT HE WILL HAVE TO ABANDON PLANS TO COMMENCE TRACK LAYING IN SEQUENCE FROM THE KWONG TONG END OF THE LINE AND LOWER EQUIPMENT INTO THE TUNNEL SOUTH OF THE PRINCE EDWARD STATION AS G-KL WILL NOT HAVE BROKEN THROUGH ON SCHEDULE. A MAJOR ROW IS BREWING WITH THE BRITISH CONSORTIUM. AND UNLESS SUCCESSFULLY RESOLVED COULD HAVE SERIOUS REPERCUSSIONS FOR BRITISH CONTRACTORS BIDDING FOR PHASE 2. CERTAINLY THE DIRECTORS OF THE MTR WILL SOON START TO CONTRAST THE BRITISH PERFORMANCE WITH THE JAPANESE CONTRACTORS WHO ARE ROUGHLY 3 MONTHS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. ARGUMENTS THAT THE BRITISH CONTRACT IS IN THE MOST DIFFICULT WORKING CONDITIONS, ALTHOUGH VALID, WILL NOT CUT MUCH ICE.
3. THE ONLY OTHER FACTOR WHICH MIGHT POINT TO ''EXCEPTIONAL DIFFICULTIES'' IS THE UNFAMILIARITY OF THE BRITISH CONTRACT- ORS WITH HONG KONG WORKING CONDITIONS AND THE USE OF CHINESE
LABOUR FORCE.
MARCH
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