IS
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN —SUPPLEMENT
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES BEACONSFIELD HOUSE, HONG KONG TEL 5-233191
SPEECH BY H.E. THE GOVERNOR AT THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER OF
THE FEDERATION OF HONG KONG INDUSTRIES
IN THE OCEAN CENTRE ON JUNE 20, 1980
Mr Wu, Ladies and Gentlemen:
I would like to join you, Mr Chairman, in paying
tribute to the founders of the Federation and to those who have guided
it through the last twenty years. And, to complete the list, let me
add the name you modestly omitted, which is your own. As you prepare
to step down after five years of wise and active leadership, I am
sure those who have been associated with the Federation during that
period would wish to join with me in publicly acknowledging your
valuable contribution.
My theme tonight is this Federation which has served
Hong Kong so well for so long. But first I must say how delighted I
am, how delighted Hong Kong is, that our own airline has at last been
licensed to fly to London. We all realise the difficulty of the
situation in which the Secretary for Trade was placed. We see his
decision as a brave one for fair play, freer competition, and
consideration for the consumer. This is exactly what we always ask for
in our commercial dealings with others and what we always give others
who deal with us. It is a happy day in which we see the British Government,
on which we depend so greatly, taking a resolute stand on these principles.
These principles involve obligations as well as benefits.
Decisions on licences to land in Hong Kong lie with the Hong Kong Air Transport Licensing Authority alone. It is not subject to
government direction, and there is no right of appeal. But the Hong
Kong Government is entitled to make representations to that body, and in principle stands ready to support applications for arrangements to
match those provided in London. In all fairness, we could not do less.
When the ..........