7
population (and this is admittedly modest: it could well be at least
5.5 million) 1986 would see Hong Kong's population standing at around
6.5 million; and by 1991 nearly 8 million.
In terms of just one aspect of social services (based on those
theoretical figures) by the year 1986 we should need to have some seven
more hospitals of the capacity of the Princess Margaret Hospital than we
are at present planning for.
Still more mind-boggling is the prospect the statisticians present
that we would need, in the public sector, to add to our current production
plans of 35,000 flats a year, a further 30,000 to keep pace with the increase
in demand! And remember, the target of 35,000 flats per year is the highest
rate we have ever achieved: that was done, as I mentioned earlier, at a
cost in terms of inflationary pressures, by assigning lower priorities to
other and important capital works.
This then is the sort of scale on which our social services would
I
be effected. In our already crowded
-
over-crowded
-
conditions, the
stresses and strains of fitting everybody in would be simply enormous.
Not to put too fine a point on it, to house an extra 1.4 million people by
1986 we would need three more towns.
As things stand at present then, we have in addition to our
natural increase at least 178,000 more people in Hong Kong than we had a
year ago, and the prospect that many more may be wanting to come. What
to do about it? Well, as you know, we have strengthened and redeployed our
security forces and here I must pay tribute to the Services and the
-
Police: working together closely they have been and are doing a truly
/magnificent.....