THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1977
15
FOLLOWING THE COMPREHENSIVE TRANSPORT STUDY PREPARED BY CONSULTANTS LAST YEAR A GOVERNMENT WORKING GROUP WAS CARRYING OUT A DETAILED STUDY OF OUR FUTURE TRANSPORT REQUIREMENTS AND HOW THEY COULD BE MET.
THIS WOULD UPDATE OUR PLANS FOR NEW ROADS, THE MTR AND KCR, BUSES AND OTHER PUBLIC TRANSPORT, AS WELL AS TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SCHEMES AND CONTROLS.
+HOPEFULLY, ALL THIS WORK WILL EMERGE IN THE COURSE OF NEXT YEAR IN THE FORM OF A TRANSPORT WHITE PAPER AND BE THE SUBJECT OF DEBATE IN THIS COUNCIL,+ HE ADDED.
MR. JONES SAID THAT CURRENT AND PROSPECTIVE PLANS FOR SPEND ENG ON ROADS TUNNELS, AND RAILWAYS ALONE COULD WELL ADD UP TO AS MUCH AS $20,000 MILLION BY THE END OF THE 1980'S, THAT WAS WITHOUT ANY ACCOUNT BEING TAKEN OF EXPENDITURE BY THE PRIVATELY OWNED TRANSPORT OPERATORS.
+THIS IS A FORMIDABLE SUM BY ANY STANDARDS AND, ALTHOUGH I RECOGNISE THE FRUSTRATIONS FELT BY MANY OF THE TRAVELLING PUBLIC AT THE PRESENT TIME, THESE EXPENDITURES WILL DO MUCH TO IMPROVE THE SITUATION IN FUTURE YEARS, PARTICULARLY IN RELATION TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT.+
WE HAD TO RECOGNISE, HOWEVER, THAT HONG KONG WAS ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST DENSELY POPULATED CITIES AND THAT THE TASK OF KEEPING THE POPULATION MOVING IN THE FACE OF GROWING TRANSPORT DEMANDS WOULD BE A NEVER ENDING ONE, MR. JONES SAID.
ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, HE SAID THAT A FINAL REPORT HAD BEEN RECEIVED FROM THE CONSULTANTS AND ENDORSED BY EPCOM. ON THE BASIS OF THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS, DRAFTS OF COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION LEGISLATION WERE BEING PREPARED IN CONSULTATION WITH INDUSTRY AND OTHER INTERESTS.
+AN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION UNIT IS BEING BUILT UP WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT TO MONITOR THE HONG KONG ENVIRONMENT IN ALL ITS ASPECTS, TO LAY DOWN STANDARDS AND TO ADVISE THE DEPARTMENTS RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPLEMENTATION,+ HE SAID. STAFF OF THE UNIT WOULD GRADUALLY BE EXPANDED TO PERFORM THESE FUNCTIONS.
ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, MR. JONES SAID GOVERNMENT HAD ONLY RECENTLY STRENGTHENED THE COMMITTEE FOR SCIENTIFIC CO-ORDINATION BY ADDING TO IT REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE POLYTECHNIC, THE PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE AND THE FEDERATION CF HONG KONG INDUSTRIES AND TIME WAS NEEDED TO SEE HOW IT WAS WORKING OUT.
+NEVERTHELESS, + HE SAID, +1 PROMISE TO TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THE WHOLE QUESTION, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE. I WOULD EMPHASIZE, HOWEVER, THAT WHAT WE WANT IN THIS FIELD IS A BODY THAT CAN HELP US TO TACKLE THE PRACTICAL PROBLEMS THAT FACE US IN APPLYING TECHNOLOGY IN THE AREAS WHERE IT IS NEEDED MOST. +
ON THE SUBJECT OF COMPENSATIC AGREED THAT QUESTIONS OF PROPERTY LEASES AND THE LAWFUL USE OF BE DEALT WITH BY LAW.
+
JONES SAID THE GOVERNMENT 12-TS, INCLUDING THE TERMS CF TY, SHOULD WHEREVER POSSIBLE
/BUT, WHEN