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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1976
GOVERNMENT TO PRESS AHEAD WITH SOCIAL PROGRAMMES
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IN ADDRESSING THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY, THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, SAID THAT ANGLO-CHINESE RELATIONS WERE EXCELLENT AND CONTACTS OVER HONG KONG FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL.
+RECENT SAD EVENT IN CHINA+ HE SAID, +HAVE NO BEARING ON THE SATISFACTORY SITUATION WHICH I AM CONFIDENT WILL CONTINUE+.
SIR MURRAY SHOWED MARKED CONFIDENCE IN THE ECONOMY WHICH HE DESCRIBED AS +BACK ON THE COURSE FROM WHICH IT WAS KNOCKED BY THE RECESSION+. THOUGH THE RATE OF GROWTH COULD NOT CONTINUE AT THE PRESENT PACE, HE SAID, +1976 WILL CONTINUE TO BE A VERY GOOD YEAR FOR HONG KONG+, WITH THE QUANTITY OF EXPORTS INCREASING BY 25% AND THE GDP BY +SOME 16% OR MORE+.
ANTI-INFLATIONARY MEASURES BY OTHER GOVERNMENTS MIGHT MAKE THE GROWTH OF WORLD TRADE SLOWER IF SURER, BUT THE GOVERNOR WAS CONFIDENT THAT HONG KONG COULD WIN A SHARE SUFFICIENT TO KEEP CAPACITY FULLY OCCUPIED. +I CAN SAY WITH CONFIDENCE+, HE CONCLUDED, +THAT UNPREDICTABLE EXTERNAL CONVULSIONS APART, OUR PROSPECTS ARE NOW GOOD, AND THAT WE MAY FACE THE SOCIAL PROBLEMS OF HONG KONG WITHOUT FEAR THAT OUR REASONABLE PLANS TO SOLVE THEM WILL SUFFER FROM FINANCIAL RESTRAINT+,
THE GOVERNOR THEN REVIEWED THE PRINCIPAL SOCIAL PROGRAMMES. LAID PARTICULAR STRESS ON HOUSING COMPLETIONS IN THE GOVERNMENT SECTOR WOULD RISE TO 170,000 IN '78/79 AND 224,000 IN '79/80 AND THEREAFTER FIGURES OF WELL OVER 200,000 WOULD BE MAINTAINED UNTIL +THE BACK OF THE PROBLEM WAS BROKEN+ ABOUT 1984.
SIR MURRAY SAID THAT WITH THE RETURN TO GREAT ACTIVITY+ IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, +BETWEEN NOW AND 1980 THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS COMBINED SHOULD HAVE PRODUCED NEW HOMES FOR ABOUT ONE MILLION PEOPLE+.
IN SPEAKING OF RENTS, HE SAID THAT HE HOPED IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE THAT INITIAL RENTS IN NEW ESTATES WOULD BE STABILISED AT PRESENT LEVELS OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS. THEY WERE HALF OR LESS THOSE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND HE SAID TO ENSURE THIS HOUSING FULFILS ITS SOCIAL PURPOSE THIS DEGREE OF SUBSIDISATION WILL BE MA INTAINED+.
AFTER SURVEYING EDUCATION, WHERE THE PRINCIPAL EMPHASIS CONTINUES TO BE ON PROVISION, BY 1978, OF NINE YEARS EDUCATION FOR ALL INCLUDING THREE YEARS OF SECONDARY EDUCATION, AND MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES, SIR MURRAY ANNOUNCED PROPOSALS TO INCLUDE IN THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE SCHEME ABLE-BODIED PERSONS UNDER 55 +SUBJECT TO SATISFACTORY ARRANGEMENTS BEING MADE TO PREVENT ABUSE+.
HE SAID IT WAS QUITE WRONG THAT DURING THE RECESSION THOSE INELIGIBLE SHOULD LIVE OFF THEIR WITS OR THEIR FRIENDS OR THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE GRANTED TO OTHER MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILIES+.
THIS IS SOMETHING WE SHOULD PUT RIGHT+, HE CONCLUDED.
HE
THE GOVERNOR