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HISTORY
New industries have grown under the stimulation of the modified land policy adopted in 1973 in order to allow the heavier, more technological industries to develop more easily. In 1976, the Industrial Estates Provisional Authority was formed to stimulate growth and diversification of industry further. The construction of the first of the authority's estates-designed specifically for the heavier industries-also began in 1976.
This economic expansion has enabled the government to increase its social and other services, and developments in these spheres have in recent years changed the face of Hong Kong.
Since the first public housing estate was built in 1954, government-subsidised housing has been provided for nearly two million people. Over the past decade, an average of more than 20,000 homes a year have been built in the public sector. The early rudimentary designs have been progressively improved upon and the standard amount of floor space in new flats has been increased. There have also been improve- ments in the general design and layout of public housing estates, particularly in the provision of social and commercial facilities. By the end of 1976 the Housing Authority had begun implementing plans for increasing construction output, redeveloping the oldest estates, and further improving building and design standards. The authority had also begun to put into effect the government's plan to build homes for sale within the public housing sector.
Expenditure on education has more than quadrupled in the past 10 years, amount- ing to $1,376 million for 1976-7. School enrolment is now more than 1.3-million-- compared with only 4,000 at the end of the Second World War. Building projects completed since 1966 include 60 government and aided secondary schools and 149 aided primary schools. In addition, 37 private secondary and nine private primary schools were built. In 1971, free primary education was introduced in all government and the majority of aided schools, and a form of compulsory primary education was enforced. The government is now nearing its objective to give every child nine years of subsidised education, and all Primary 6 leavers are to be provided with subsidised secondary school places by 1978. Hong Kong's first technical institute was opened in 1969 and today there are three technical institutes, with a fourth and fifth scheduled to open within the next three years.
At the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the total number of students has more than doubled in the past 10 years and enrolments in September 1977 are expected to total about 8,800. The Hong Kong Polytechnic, which began in 1972 with 1,834 day-time students, will have about 5,650 such students in September 1977-an increase of nearly 300 per cent in five years. Part-time and evening students have increased by about 200 per cent.
Medical and health services are continually being improved and expanded and the number of hospital beds has risen over the past decade from 13,366 to 19,270. Another 5,000 beds are to be provided in the next eight years. The Medical and Health Department's annual expenditure is now more than three times what it was in 1966 and subventions to the many non-government medical institutions and organisations have increased more than fourfold. The development of maternal and child health