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SUNDAY, JULY 16, 1978
STRESS ON GREATER USE OF MACHINES IN BUILDING INDUSTRY
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THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, MR. DAVID MCDONALD, TODAY REITERATED THAT THE LABOUR FORCE AT OUR DISPOSAL IS LIMITED AND THAT GREATER USE MUST BE MADE OF MECHANISATION IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY.+
HE SAID : +THIS HAS BECOME EVEN MORE IMPERATIVE DUE TO THE HIGHER LEVEL OF ACTIVITY AND TO THE LARGER AND MORE SOPHISTICATED STRUCTURES NOW BEING PROMOTED.+
MR. MCDONALD WAS SPEAKING AT A DINNER GIVEN BY THE BUILDING CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION TO MARK LO PAN FESTIVAL.
REFLECTING ON HIS FORECAST MADE AT LAST YEAR'S FESTIVAL HE SAID THAT WITH A FAIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROJECTS LIKELY TO COMMENCE DURING THE YEAR, IT DID NOT REALLY NEED ANY GREAT AMOUNT OF FORESIGHT ON HIS PART TO TELL THAT IT WOULD BE A PROSPEROUS ONE FOR THE INDUSTRY.
BUT HE POINTED OUT THAT +HONG KONG'S CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMMES CAN BE VERY EASILY DISRUPTED WHEN PROBLEMS ARISE IN OTHER COUNTRIES ON WHICH WE DEPEND SO HEAVILY FOR OUR SUPPLY OF MATERIALS.+
AS FOR THE COMING YEAR, MR. MCDONALD SAID, HE COULD NOT SEE IN IT ANY DIMINUTION IN THE LEVEL OF BUILDING ACTIVITY IN EITHER THE PUBLIC OR PRIVATE SECTORS.
+AND THERE IS LITTLE DOUBT THAT, EARRING ANY UNFORESEEN PROBLEMS SUCH AS IN THE SUPPLY OF MATERIALS WHICH I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE ONLY LIMITING FACTOR WILL BE THAT OF THE CAPACITY OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY TO UNDERTAKE THE VOLUME OF WORKS WITHIN REQUIRED TIME SCALES, HE ADDED.
MR. MCDONALD REFERRED TO THE INTRODUCTION OF A NEW CLAUSE IN PUBLIC WORKS CONTRACTS FOR PROJECTS ESTIMATED TO COST $10 MILLION OR MORE REQUIRING CONTRACTORS TO EMPLOY TECHNICIAN APPRENTICES.
HE SAID IT WAS HOPED THAT THIS FORM OF TEACHING WOULD ENSURE THAT THE SKILLS WHICH THE CONTRACTORS POSSESSED WOULD BE PASSED ON TO THE NEW GENERATION OF CONTRACTORS AND SO CONTINUE THE TRADITION OF LO PAN, A MASTER CRAFTSMAN AND A TEACHER OF HIS CRAFT.
THE DIRECTOR SAID THAT A FURTHER CHANGE WOULD IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE, BE INTRODUCED AND WOULD HAVE MARKED SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE.
/HE RECALLED