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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 1977
GMT PLUS 8 FOR HONG KONG THIS SUMMER
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THE INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL CLAUSES (AMENDMENT) BILL, WHICH GIVES THE EFFECT OF MAINTAINING HONG KONG STANDARD TIME (GMT PLUS 8) THROUGHOUT THIS SUMMER TO SEE WHAT PERMANENT ARRANGEMENTS SHOULD BE MADE, PASSED ITS THIRD AND FINAL READING AND BECAME LAW TODAY.
EARLIER, DR. THE HON. S.Y. CHUNG, SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF HIS UNOFFICIAL COLLEAGUES DURING THE RESUMED DEBATE ON THE BILL IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, SAID THE UNOFFICIALS SUPPORTED THE BILL ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT A DEBATE WOULD TAKE PLACE LATER THIS YEAR TO DECIDE ON A PERMANENT TIME SYSTEM FOR HONG KONG.
+THE UNOFFICIALS AGREED TO THE PROPOSAL OF GOVERNMENT THAT SINCE WE HAD TRIED GMT PLUS NINE IN THE WINTER OF 1973, WE SHOULD HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE OF GMT PLUS EIGHT IN THE NEXT SUMMER BEFORE COMING TO A FINAL CONCLUSION,+ DR. CHUNG SAID.
+THIS WOULD MEAN THAT BETWEEN APRIL AND CCTOBER 1977
WE WOULD RETAIN THE HONG KONG STANDARD TIME, THAT IS GMT PLUS EIGHT, INSTEAD OF CHANGING TO SUMMER TIME, THAT IS GMT PLUS NINE.+
AS A RESULT OF THIS EXPERIENCE, HE SAID, THE COUNCIL WOULD REASSESS PUBLIC OPINION AND HAVE AN OPEN DEBATE AND A FREE VOTE TO DECIDE WHETHER HONG KONG SHOULD HAVE A FIXED STANDARD TIME THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE YEAR OR SHOULD RETURN TO A DUAL TIME SYSTEM.
+BY DECLARING A FREE VOTE ON THIS ISSUE LATER THIS YEAR, THE GOVERNMENT IS IMPLYING THAT IT IS TAKING A NEUTRAL STAND AND HAS NO STRONG VIEWS ON THE MATTER, HE ADDED.
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