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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1976
MR. CHEONG-LEEN ALSO SPOKE ABOUT THE SCHOOL MEDICAL SERVICE, PREVENTIVE SERVICE FOR YOUTH AND CRIME.
ON THE SCHOOL MEDICAL SERVICE, HE WAS DISTURBED TO FIND THAT DESPITE THE LOW CHARGE OF $5 A YEAR PER STUDENT, ENROLMENT STOOD AT ONLY 10 PER CENT OF THOSE ELIGIBLE.
HE SAID THAT IT WAS A MATTER OF REGRET THAT AS AT MARCH 31 THIS YEAR ONLY 136 DOCTORS OUT OF A TOTAL OF 204 PARTICIPATING WERE ALLOCATED PANELS OF STUDENTS, WHILE 68 DOCTORS STILL AWAITED ALLOCATION OF STUDENTS DUE TO INSUFFICIENT PARTICIPATION.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN ALSO SUGGESTED THAT THE GOVERNMENT CARRY OUT A RESEARCH TO FIND OUT WHY SO MANY OF HONG KONG'S STUDENTS WORE GLASSES.
REFERRING TO THE GOVERNMENT'S PROGRAMME PLAN TO PREVENT YOUNG PEOPLE FROM BECOMING INVOLVED IN CRIME AND ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES, HE SAID: +PERHAPS IT WOULD BE WORTHWHILE TO STUDY THE EXPERIENCE OF OTHER COUNTRIES, PARTICULARLY SCOTLAND WHICH HAS RECENTLY ABOLISHED JUVENILE COURTS AND REPLACE THEM BY WELFARE TRIBUNALS WHICH CARRY OUT CHILDREN'S HEARINGS AND WHICH ARE STAFFED BY LAY PEOPLE.
ON THE PRESENT METHOD OF REPORTING CRIME, MR. CHEONG-LEEN SAID HE WONDERED WHETHER THE POLICE HAD REALLY DONE THE BEST IT COULD TO FACILITATE THE REPORTING OF CRIME.
+THERE IS A NEED FOR THE POLICE TO SET UP A CENTRAL ISED TELEPHONE REPORTING SYSTEM WHEREBY ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC REPORTING A CRIME BY TELEPHONING 999 COULD GIVE THE INFORMATION RIGHT AWAY TO A CENTRAL REPORTING CENTRE SWITCHED OVER TO THE INTERNAL EXTENSION OF THE POLICE STATION CONCERNED, HE SAID,
IN CONCLUSION, MR. CHEONG-LEEN SAID THAT HONG KONG'S STANDARD RATE OF TAXATION WAS LOW AND WE WANT TO KEEP IT AS LOW AS IS PRACTICABLE, FOR THIS IS ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL FACTORS ATTRACTING CAPITAL INVESTMENT AND NEW TECHNOLOGY INTO HONG KONG TO PROVIDE MORE JOBS FOR OUR PEOPLE.+
IN A FEW MONTHS, HE SAID, THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY WOULD PRESENT HIS NEXT BUDGET.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY WOULD, AT THE TIME, ELUCIDATE FURTHER AS TO WHETHER ALL THE VERY DESIRABLE AND WORTHWHILE SOCIAL PROGRAMMES WE ARE EMBARKING ON WILL BE FINANCED ON THE BASIS OF CURRENT RATES OF TAXATION AND THE ANTICPATED GROWTH RATE IN REAL TERMS OF SIX PERCENT PER ANNUM FOR THE NEXT FOUR OR FIVE YEARS.
+HONG KONG IS NOW EXPERIENCING A SOCIAL REVOLUTION THAT WILL GIVE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A BETTER EDUCATION TO DEVELOP THEIR POTENTIALITY AND ATTAIN A GOOD STANDARD OF LIVING, + HE SAID.
+ IN THIS PROCESS WE HOPE THEY WILL ACQUIRE A SENSE OF LOCAL IDENTITY AND LOYALTY BY CHANNELLING THEIR SPARE TIME INTO VOLUNTEER WORK IN THEIR DISTRICT TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY, HE ADDED.
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