+
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1979
FS CONCERNED OVER HIGH LEVEL OF NET IMMIGRATION
****
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY HAS EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE HIGH LEVEL OF NET IMMIGRATION INTO HONG KONG.
HE SAID THE 1976 POPULATION PROJECTION WAS BASED ON AN ASSUMPTION THAT THE RATE OF NET IMMIGRATION WOULD BE ONLY 12,000 A YEAR, WHICH WAS VERY MUCH LOWER THAN THE ESTIMATED NET INTAKE OF 33,000 IN 1977 AND OF 96,000 IN 1978.
THESE FIGURES, HE SAID, WERE SEEN IN A WORRYING PERSPECTIVE IF ONE COMPARED THEM WITH THE FIGURES OF NATURAL INCREASE OF 56,500 IN 1977 AND 56,900 IN 1978.
+FURTHERMORE, OUR PRESENT EXPECTATION MUST BE FOR A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF IMMIGRANTS IN 1979 ALSO, HE ADDED.
MR. HADDON-CAVE SAID IF THE PRESENT HIGH LEVEL OF NET IMMIGRATION WAS MAINTAINED FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME, AND ON THE BASIS OF CERTAIN ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF IMMIGRANTS AND LABOUR PARTICIPATION RATES, THE EFFECT WOULD BE TO RAISE THE GROWTH RATE OF THE LABOUR FORCE ITSELF.
+BUT THIS IS NOT AN UNMIXED BLESSING EVEN IN ECONOMIC TERMS, + HE SAID.
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY ADDED THAT HE WAS NOT OVERLOOKING THE GRAVE SOCIAL AND OTHER IMPLICATIONS OF THE PRESENT RATE OF NET IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA AND POTENTIALLY FROM ELSEWHERE.
+ALREADY, OF COURSE, WE HAVE OVER 15,000 REFUGEES HELD ON. BOATS AND IN CAMPS PENDING DETERMINATION OF THE IR FUTURE,+ HE SAID.
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