SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1976,
BASIC REALITIES GOVERNING H.K.'S SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
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EFFORTS BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TO DEVELOP COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL SERVICES ARE CONDITIONED BY FIVE +BASIC REALITIES+, THE HONG KONG COMMISSIONER, MR. S.T. KIDD, SAID IN LONDON ON THURSDAY (NOVEMBER 18).
SPEAKING AT A DINNER PARTY OF THE ENGLISH SPEAKING UNION,
HE SAID THE REALITIES WERE:
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HONG KONG'S TOTAL DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN TRADE, THE VITAL IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING THE PRESENT CONSTITUTIONAL LINKS WITH BRITAIN,
* THE NEED FOR FRIENDLY CO-EXISTENCE WITH CHINA,
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THE GOVERNMENT'S CONTINUING NEED TO GOVERN +BY CONSENT+, AND THE NEED FOR THE GOVERNMENT, WHILE MAINTAINING A SOUND FINANCIAL AND ECONOMICAL INFRASTRUCTURE UPON WHICH INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE CAN FLOURISH, TO ENSURE THAT THIS IS DONE WITH A MINIMUM OF OFFICIAL INTERVENTION OR CONTROL.
+WHILE WE MUST ALWAYS HAVE REGARD FOR THE BASIC REALITIES WHICH GOVERN OUR EXISTENCE, HE SAID, WITHIN THESE PERIMETERS IT REMAINS THE GOVERNMENT'S DÉCLARED AIM TO GO ON ACHIEVING SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT WITH ECONOMIC PROSPERITY FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG,+
MR. KIDD DESCRIBED THE POSITIVE MATERIAL ADVANCES+ MADE IN RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICES, AND STRESSED THAT THESE HAD NOT IN ANY WAY MADE HONG KONG COMPLACENT OR UNSELF-CRITICAL ABOUT MANY ASPECTS OF ITS DAILY LIFE WHICH NEEDED CORRECTION AND IMPROVEMENT.
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