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Thursday, March 16, 1972
Double tracking the short road to Lok Ma Chau was also needed
urgently as it was often overcrowded at present, he said.
"These facilities would, of course, be used by our own people
as well as by tourists."
He also urged Government to give higher priority to Phase 2 of
the Stage IV development of the Hong Kong Airport Terminal Building and to
press on with the detailed planning of Phase 3.
"The forecast shows that we are going to run into serious
congestion again in the terminal building from 1973 onwards," he said.
New Policy
Mr. Browne said he would also like to see a new policy towards
shops at the airport.
"I am alarmed to see that against the original estimate of revenue
of $12 million from airport concessions in 1971/72, the figure has doubled
to $25 million in 1972/73."
He thought it wrong to put airport shop spaces out to tender to
the highest bidder without considering other factors.
"This results in charging rents that are higher than almost
anywhere else in the Colony," he said.
He pointed out that almost every tourist entered and left Hong
Kong through the airport and it gave a very unfavourable impression if they
were asked to pay an unrealistic rate when money was changed, and high
prices for liquor and other goods they might purchase at Kai Tak.
"If we don't do something about overcharging and congestion in
the airport terminal we are bound to run into increasingly adverse publicity,"
he said.
/On the ....