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Wednesday, March 15, 1972
"I therefore see every justification for timely boosting our public
expenditure in a suitable but not extravagant scale in this our sixth year of
continuing prosperity and surpluses," he added.
He welcomed the proposed increases in Public Assistance and said that
Hong Kong's aged, the sick, the widowed and the needy "must be given the
opportunity of sharing, even a very small fraction, of our good profit."
While the present proposals might make Hong Kong a pace-setter in the
field of social services in Asia as claimed, Government's tardiness in introducing
the original scheme was an embarrassment to the Colony's accumulated wealth.
He welcomed the present proposals of improvement and coupled his
support with a plea for speedy implementation and a widened scope beyond the
present target of 15,000 cases.
Hong Kong's financial state could well afford the additional expenditure
involved, he said.
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