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POPULATION GROWTH MUST BE CAREFULLY WATCHED ***** *
POPULATION GROWTH MUST BE CLOSELY MONITORED AND THE PROGRAMME TO MEET THE NEED FOR FURTHER PUBLICITY AND PROVISION OF FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES MUST BE INTENSIFIED, THE SECRETARY FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, THE HON. F.K. LI, SAID TODAY,
SPEAKING IN AN ADJOURNMENT DEDATE IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, HE SAID THE PROJECTED POPULATION GROUTH OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS WAS LIKELY TO BE ABOUT 80,000, OR JUST LESS THAN TWO PER CENT A YEAR.
MR. LI SAID THIS INDICATED THAT +A PROBLEM EXISTS AND THAT IT MUST BE CAREFULLY WATCHED.+
HE SAID THE WORK DONE BY THE FAMILY PLANNING ASSOCIATION +MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO DISSIPATE+ AND THE GOVERNMENT + IS BUILDING ON THE FOUNDATIONS SO WELL BEGUN.
HE CONTINUED : +CONTROL OF LEGAL AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION MUST BE SEEN IN THIS CONTEXT AND GOVERNMENT'S EFFORTS ARE RECOGNISED NOT ONLY IN THIS COUNCIL BUT AMONG THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AT LARGE.+
MR. LI SAID WHAT POLICY MAKERS HAD TO ASSESS WAS THE +RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN A POPULATION BEING TOO HIGH AID IT DLING TOO LOW.+
HE DESCRIBED HONG KONG'S PROBLEMS AS +UNIQUE+. EIGHTY-FIVE PER CENT OF THE POPULATION ARE LIVING IN ONLY 15 SQUARE MILES OF SPACE.
IT IS IN THIS CONTEXT,+ HE SAID, THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS STRONGLY SUPPORTED FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES IN HONG KONG AND MURE RECENTLY HAS BECOME INVOLVED IN THE DIRECT PROVISION OF THESE SERVICES.+
THE SECRETARY SAID EXCESSIVE POPULATION GROWTH WOULD HAVE IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS FOR HONG KONG'S SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES.
+WHILE WE HAVE NOT ADOPTED ANY ECONOMIC DISINCENTIVE MEASURES AIMED TO DISCOURAGE POPULATION GROWTH. THE RATE OF GROWTH IN HONG KONG COMPARES REASONABLY WELL WITH THAT OF SINGAPORE, 11: SAID,
PRESENT FIGURES INDICATE THAT WHILE 18 PER CENT OF MARRIED WOMEN BETWEEN 15 AND 49 WERE ATTENDING FAMILY PLANNING CLINICS IN 1970, BY 1974 THE FIGURE HAD INCREASED TO 28 PER CENT.
MR. LI SAID: THIS PERCENTAGE MUST BE FURTHER INCREASED IF ONLY BECAUSE THE NUMBER OF WOMEN IN THIS CATEGORY WILL RISE BY ALMOST ONE-FIFTH OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.+
/EARLIER,