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HISTORY
daily to 10 destinations in Guangdong. There are also daily hoverferry services and through train services to Guangzhou. A new immigration and customs post has been opened at Man Kam To on the border and work has started on improvements to the railway station. at Lo Wu.
The development of Hong Kong's economic base has enabled the government to increase spending on social services over the years - from $1,188 million in 1971-2 to an estimated $11,906 million in 1981-2. Expenditure on education facilities and improvements for its young and vibrant population has always been utmost in budget preparations and there are now places for every secondary school student up to the age of 15 years. Accommodation has always been a problem with a rapidly growing population and expenditure in this field has increased accordingly. More than two million people now live in some form of public housing managed by the Housing Authority. Public housing flats are being constructed at an average rate of one every 7.5 minutes each 12-hour working day, every day of the year. And it is planned to continue providing about 35 000 flats a year under present conditions. To keep pace with this development and a policy of decentralisation, the government is commited to improving the infrastructure and an estimated $3,650 million, about 13 per cent of expenditure, is being spent on transport, roads, civil engineering and land during 1981-2.
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