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37
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Wednesday, October 16, 1974
what demand there is now, and to respond very quickly to any
increase in demand in the future.
Provided we retain this
competitive edge I expect Hong Kong to ride current problems
with less trouble than most other countries. I certainly
expect the economy to continue to grow, and the Financial
Secretary's estimate made last February of a growth rate of
4% in real terms still looks the most probable outcome for
this year.
There are not many industrial countries in the
world that could say the same.
If I might say so Hong Kong is so accustomed to growth
that is phenomenal, that we should guard against too pessimistic
a reaction to growth that is, by comparative standards, merely
enviable.
REVIEW OF GOVERNMENT PROGRAMMES
This is the background against which we have been
taking stock
During the last two years, as Hon. Members know,
fre
we have prepared long-range plans covering the next 10 years.
for what want to do in the major fields of Government spending
housing, education, medical and health services, social welfare.
To these must be added other plans already fairly precise covering
expenditure on the expansion of the road system, the Kowloon-
Canton Railway, the Mass Transit project, the Police, the Prisons
and the Fire Services. Other comparatively new fields have been
opened up such as community relations and countryside amenities,
which though relatively cheap all add. to the total bill.
/Taken
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