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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1974
MEANWHILE, A WORKING GROUP COMPRISING THE SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES, THE SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES AND. MR. ROBSON HAS BEEN SET UP TO CONSIDER THE PROPOSALS ONCE THEY HAVE BEEN RECEIVED.
MR. ROBSON ADDED: +WE SHALL NOT APPLY EXCESSIVE OR UNREASON- ABLE POLLUTION CONTROLS AND CONDITIONS ON THIS OR ANY OTHER NEW INDUSTRY WISHING TO SET UP IN HONG KONG. NEVERTHELESS POLLUTION MUST BE KEPT WITHIN TOLERABLE BOUNDS.+
FROM HIS DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CONSORTIA IT WAS CLEAR, HE SAID, THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS AND WOULD HAVE LITTLE DIFFICULTY IN MEETING THE STANDARDS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION NECESSARY.
WITH REGARD TO POLLUTION GENERALLY, MR. ROBSON SAID HE HAD PUT FORWARD PROPOSALS FOR THE EMPLOYMENT OF CONSULTANTS TO HELP WITH THE PREPARATION OF COMPREHENSIVE LEGISLATION AND TO ADVISE ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY.
ON THE QUESTION OF TRANSPORT TO AND FROM THE AIRPORT, MR. ROBSON DISCLOSED THAT THE COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORT IS INVESTIGATING, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE AIRPORT MANAGER, THE INTRODUCTION OF ANOTHER HIRE CAR SERVICE WITH SET CHARGES UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE GOVERNMENT.
HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT COULD NOT EXERT ANY CONTROL OVER THE CHARGES MADE BY THE PRESENT LIMOUSINE CAR SERVICE FOR WHICH THE CHARGES, AS FOR ANY PUBLIC CAR SERVICE, ARE DETERMINED BY A CONTRACT BETWEEN THE OPERATOR AND THE HIRER.
+WHILST THESE LIMOUSINE CARS PROVIDE A USEFUL SERVICE FOR SOME, THEY MAY BE TOO EXPENSIVE FOR OTHERS,+ MR. ROBSON SAID.
AT THE SAME TIME, HE SAID THE POLICE TRIAD SOCIETY BUREAU WILL BE INVESTIGATING AN ALLEGATION OF RACKETEERING IN THE TAXI TRADE AT THE AIRPORT. AND THAT SURVEILLANCE OF GROUND FACILITIES WILL BE INCREASED. THIS WILL BE ENHANCED WHEN THE PUBLIC HIRE CAR AND TAXI RANKS ARE MOVED TO A MORE SPACIOUS AREA IN FRONT OF THE TERMINAL BUILDING EARLY NEXT YEAR.
ON AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT, MR. ROBSON SAID THAT IN THE FIVE FINANCIAL YEARS BEGINNING 1970/71 AND ENDING WITH THE PRESENT. YEAR 1974/75, A TOTAL OF SOME $350 MILLION WILL HAVE BEEN SPENT ON CAPITAL WORKS AT KAI TAK. IN THE NEXT FOUR YEARS CAPITAL WORKS VALUED AT $320 MILLION ARE PLANNED AND THIS EXPENDITURE PLUS A REASONABLE RETURN WILL HAVE TO BE RECOUPED THROUGH THE CHARGES FOR USING THE AIRPORT.+
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