THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1974.
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PLANNING OF AIRPORT FACILITIES AND SERVICES CRITICISED
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THE DEVELOPMENT OF FACILITIES AT KAI TAK AIRPORT HAS NOT KEPT PACE WITH ACCURATE FORECASTS OF GROWTH, NOR WITH WHAT IS ACTUALLY REQUIRED, AS A RESULT OF GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL CONTROL, MR. J.H. BREMRIDGE TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.
HE AGREED THAT THERE WERE MANY PRIORITIES IN HONG KONG AND THAT THE HIGHEST OF ALL PRIORITIES WAS THE NEED TO HOUSE BETTER THE LESS WELL OFF MEMBERS OF THE POPULATION.
HOWEVER, HE POINTED OUT THAT IF THE OPERATION OF EITHER THE HARBOUR OR THE AIRPORT BECAME BLOCKED, THE SITUATION WOULD INDEED BE FRAUGHT WITH PERIL.
WHILE PRAISING THE GOVERNMENT POLICY OF LEAVING THE HARBOUR DEVELOPMENT TO PRIVATE ENTERPRISE MR. BRENRIDGE CRITICISED THE PLANNING OF AIRPORT FACILITIES AND SERVICES WHICH, HE SAID, WAS MORE THAN THREE YEARS BEHIND WHAT WAS LONG AGO RECOMMENDED.
HE BELIEVED THAT THE AIRPORT HAD BEEN UNREASONABLY, INDEED DANGEROUSLY STARVED IN RECENT YEARS AS A RESULT OF UNWILLINGNESS EY GOVERNMENT TO SET AGAINST THE VERY CONSIDERABLE GROSS CASH FLOW AVAILABLE FROM THE AIRPORT ON THE ONE HAND THE INEVITABLE COMMITMENT TO SPEND MONEY ON THE OTHER. THERE HAD ALSO BEEN FISCAL INTERFERENCE WITH THE PLANNING PROPOSALS OF SENSIBLE EXPERTS.
IN ADDITION, HE SAID +WHILE ANXIOUS. TO ACCEPT THE REVENUE (AND INDEED TO INCREASE IT), THE SECRETARIAT HAS BEEN UNWILLING UNTIL VERY RECENTLY TO SPEND SUFFICIENT ON KEEPING UP WITH GROWTH.+
SAID
TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS AT THE AIRPORT, MA. BRØMRIDGE HE USED TO BE STRONGLY IN FAVOUR OF SETTING UP AN INDEPENDENT AIRPORT AUTHORITY.
HE POINTED OUT, HOWEVER, THAT THIS MAJOR CHANGE WAS PROBABLY PREMATURE AT A TIME WHEN GOVERNMENT HAD RELEASED VERY CONSIDERABLE SUMS FOR AIRPORT REQUIREMENTS OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS.
+IF IN LATER YEARS THERE ARISE SIMILAR PROBLEMS OF FAILURE TO COPE WITH THE GROWTH, AN INDEPENDENT AIRPORT AUTHORITY MAY BE THE FINAL SOLUTION. WE CANNOT MUDDLE TOO LITTLE TOO LATE, HE SAID.
AS FOR THE PRESENT, HE SAID IT WOULD NOT BE UNREASONABLE TO EXPECT SUFFICIENT SPACE, FACILITIES AND SERVICES CONTINUOUSLY TO BE PROVIDED FOR THE NEEDS OF PASSENGERS AND CARGO.
IN THIS RESPECT MR. BREAKINGE SAID HE WAS NOT SO MUCH CONCERNED WITH THE QUALITY OF PROVISION AS THE QUANTITY, THOUGH INDEED THE AIRPORT WAS +OUR SHOPFRONT+.
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