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THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 1978
MAKING THE BEST USE OF OUR LAND
MR. LO FULLY AGREED WITH THE HON. Q.W. LEE WHO HAD EARLIER IN THE BUDGET DEBATE ASKED THE GOVERNMENT TO REVIEW OUR PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS TO SEE WHETHER WE ARE USING OUR SCARCE LAND RESOURCE TO ITS BEST WHILE PRESERVING A REASONABLE ENVIRONMENT.
HE REJECTED THE ARGUMENT, WHICH HE SAID HE HEARS FROM TIME TO TIME, THAT WE SHOULD SUBSIDISE CERTAIN LAND INTENSIVE INDUSTRIES. EVEN IN THE CASE OF LABOUR INTENSIVE INDUSTRIES, SUBS IDISATION IN LAND COST IS A SLIPPERY DOWNHILL PATH+ BECAUSE THE MORE LAND IS TAKEN AWAY IN THIS WAY THE LESS WOULD THERE BE LEFT AND THE MORE EXPENSIVE.
DIVERSIFICATION
DO NOT LEAVE
TEXTILE AND CLOTHING INDUSTRY OUT IN THE COLD
******
HONG KONG MUST NOT IGNORE THE TEXTILE AND CLOTHING INDUSTRY WHILE TRYING TO BROADEN ITS INDUSTRIAL BASE THROUGH
DIVERS IF ICATION, THE HON. FRANCIS TIEN SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.
SPEAKING AT THE BUDGET DEBATE, MR. TIEN SAID +THERE IS EVERY EVIDENCE TO DEMONSTRATE THE STRENGTH OF OUR GARMENT INDUSTRY AND, ON PAST FORM, THERE SEEMS TO BE NO REASON WHY WE SHOULD NOT EXPECT THIS SECTOR OF THE INDUSTRY FURTHER TO TRADE UP AND INCREASE ITS SHARE IN OUR TOTAL EXPORTS.+
HE EMPHASISED THAT THE INDUSTRY ACHIEVED A 200 PER CENT GROWTH RATE OVER THE LAST FIVE TO SIX YEARS.
+EVEN IN 1977 WHAT WAS REGARDED BY MOST TRADERS AS A FORMIDABLY BAD YEAR, THE TEXTILE AND CLOTHING MANUFACTURERS APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HOLD GROUND,+ MR. TIEN ADDED.
HE HOPED THAT THE GOVERNMENT AND OTHER BODIES SHARING RESPONSIBILITY IN FORMULATING FUTURE POLICY ON FURTHER INDUSTRIAL ISATION AND DIVERSIFICATION WOULD HAVE REGARD TO THE FACT THAT +WE HAVE DIVERSIFIED WITHIN THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY, TO THE GENERAL GOOD OF HONG KONG AND THAT THIS INDUSTRY IS CAPABLE OF FURTHER DIVERSIFICATION, UPWARDS INTO INCREASINGLY HIGHER BRACKETS OF OUR OVERSEAS MÁRKET.+
MR. TIEN SAID AN ANALYSIS OF HONG KONG'S EXPORT FIGURES WOULD SHOW THAT +WHEN WE BECAME LESS COMPETITIVE IN YARNS, WE MOVED INTO FABRICS- THEN HIGHER GRADE FABRICS AND THEN GARMENTS AND, AS A CONSEQUENCE OF WHAT TO HONG KONG IS THE NATURAL PROGRESSION, THE HIGHER GRADE GARMENTS.
/+INDEED
+