WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1975
HONG KONG BELIEVES IN VIGOROUS TRADE'
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ACTING GOVERNOR
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THE ACTING GOVERNOR, SIR DENYS ROBERTS, SAID TODAY HE BELIEVED HONG KONG'S SUCCESS AS A PORT AND MANUFACTURING CENTRE WAS DUE NOT ONLY TO THE FACILITIES PROVIDED AND THE QUALITY OF GOODS PRODUCED, BUT TO THE ATMOSPHERE WE HAVE SOUGHT TO ENCOURAGE.+
SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF THE SEATRADE CONFERENCE AT THE CONVENTION CENTRE, HE SAID THIS ATMOSPHERE WAS ONE IN WHICH THE DEVELOPER, THE TRADER, THE INDUSTRIALIST AND THE BUSINESSMAN WOULD FLOURISH.
+HE WILL FLOURISH BECAUSE HE KNOWS THAT HE IS WANTED HERE- BECAUSE HE IS OPERATING IN A COMMUNITY WHICH BELIEVES IN INITIATIVE AND THINKS IT RIGHT THAT A MAN SHOULD RETAIN A FAIR PROPORTION OF THE FRUITS OF HIS LABOUR AND INGENUITY BECAUSE HE KNOWS THAT WE REGARD THE FREE MOVEMENT OF CAPITAL AND GOODS AS ESSENTIAL TO OUR GROWTH AND BECAUSE HE MAY FEEL CONFIDENT THAT WE SHALL STRIVE TO MAINTAIN OUR FREE PORT STATUS AND OUR LOW-TAX STRUCTURE.+
+ABOVE ALL,+ SIR DENYS STRESSED, HE IS AWARE THAT WE BELIEVE FIRMLY IN THE BENEFITS OF VIGOROUS TRADE, FREE FROM ARTIFICIAL BARRIERS, AND IN THE ABILITY OF THE TRADER TO OPERATE IN THE WAY WHICH WILL BE OF THE GREATEST BENEFIT TO HIMSELF, TO HIS EMPLOYEES AND TO THE COMMUNITY IN GENERAL.+
DESPITE THE FACT THAT THERE WAS NO SEPARATE HONG KONG SHIPPING REGISTER, AND ALTHOUGH HE WAS AWARE THAT MANY ATTENDING THE CONFERENCE BELIEVED THAT SUCH A DEVELOPMENT WOULD BE JUSTIFIED AND ADVANTAGEOUS TO HONG KONG'S INTERESTS, THE ACTING GOVERNOR SAID AN IMMENSE FLEET+, PROBABLY BETWEEN 25 AND 30 MILLION TONS WAS OWNED OR OPERATED BY COMPANIES REGISTERED IN HONG KONG.
HE SAID THAT THIS GAVE HONG KONG +A POWER AND INFLUENCE IN THE PATTERN OF WORLD SHIPPING WHICH IS OUT OF ALL PROPORTION TO THE MODEST NUMBER OF VESSELS WHICH APPEAR ON THE HONG KONG PORTION OF THE BRITISH SHIPPING REGISTER.+
ASSOCIATED WITH THE OWNERSHIP OR OPERATION OF THE FLEET
IS HONG KONG'S IMPORTANCE AS A SOURCE OF RECRUITMENT OF SEAMEN. HONG KONG MAINTAINS A REGISTER OF ABOUT 80,000 SEAMEN OF WHOM AT ANY GIVEN TIME MORE THAN 30,000 ARE SERVING ON VESSELS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
+OUR SEAMEN ARE GREATLY IN DEMAND FOR THE SAME QUALITIES OF DISCIPLINE, EFFICIENCY, HARDWORK AND ADAPTABILITY WHICH HAVE BEEN SO INTEGRAL A PART OF OUR SUCCESS AS AN INDUSTRIAL ENTITY, + SIR DENYS SAID.
/REFERRING