10.
(a). Urban Council
The Urban Council too việ” moving into a now phące. Noxt March will see the completion of the reforms introduced by the White Paper on District Administration when the new Urban Council elections are held. The electorate next March will be more than twenty times the size of last year's electorate and for the first time Urban Council members will be elected on a constituency basis, The Council will be increased in size from the present 24 members to 30: £ifteen appointed and fifteen elected members. All Urban Councillors' will sit on District
Boards, elected members sitting. on the Boards for those
Districts which include their constituencies.
between the Urban Council and Dictrict Boards are alroudy
close, but with the advent of constituency based g1acted members I am sure that cooperation will become even closer.
(3)
Economic and Financial Situation
(a)
The Economy in 1982
Rolations
11.
Let me HOW turn to the state of our economy - The world is going through the worst recession since the 1930s and it would be unrealistic to expect our economy, which io so highly externally oriented, to remain immunė. Wo now expect Hong Kong's gross domestic product to grow by only 48 in 1982. The main cause of this expected fall in our growth rate is that domestic exporta in the first half of this year wore in real
tarma 3% leag than in the first half of last year. Although
some recovery is expected in
szpactod in the second half of the year, domestic exports seem likely to be down by 20 for the year ao a whole. In terms of experience in recent years such an outcome is disappointing.
/12. Nevertheloos