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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1974.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY NOTED THE CONCERN OVER THE INCREASE IN CRIME AND SAID THAT WHILE THERE WERE NO QUICK OR EASY SOLUTIONS +THE GOVERNMENT REGARDS IT WICH THE UTMOST SERIOUSNESS AND WILL CONTINUE TO USE EVERY REASONABLE DEVICE AT ITS DISPOSAL UNTIL IT IS BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL.+
PROGRESS MIGHT BE SLOW, HE ADDED, BUT IN THE LONG RUN +THE COMBINATION OF AN OUTRAGED COMMUNITY AND AN AUGMENTED AND EFFECTIVE POLICE FORCE, MUST AND WILL REDUCE CRIME ONCE MORE TO AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL.+
COMMENTING ON THE EDUCATION WHITE PAPER, MR. ROBERTS NOTED THAT MUCH OF THE CRITICISM HAD CENTRED ROUND THE JUNIOR CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION BUT HE CAUTIONED AGAINST ALLOWING THIS ISSUE TO DIVERT US FROM THE PRINCIPAL TASK OF PROVIDING THREE YEARS' SECONDARY EDUCATION FOR ALL.
HE POINTED OUT THAT THE EXAMINATION WOULD NOT BE TAKEN BY ANYONE FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND DURING THIS INTERVAL THERE WOULD BE TIME FOR FURTHER CONSULTATION AND REFLECTION ON IT.
MR. ROBERTS SAID HONG KONG WAS GOING THROUGH A PERIOD OF TRANSITION AND CHANGES WERE TAKING PLACE ON A SCALE WHICH WOULD DWARF OUR PRESENT DIFFICULTIES ONCE THE IMMEDIATE IMPACT OF THE PRESENT RECESSION HAD PASSED.
HONG KONG, HE NOTED, HAD BEEN THE SUBJECT OF MUCH OVERSEAS CRITICISM SOME OF IT MALICIOUS AND MUCH OF IT UNINFORMED, BUT TO A LARGE EXTENT IT WAS BASED ON ENVY OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS.
WHILE THERE WERE STILL DEFICIENCIES TO BE OVERCOME, HE WAS SURE THAT OUR OBJECTIVES WERE RIGHT.
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