THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1980
25
+THERE WERE A NUMBER OF RECENT CASES WHERE FACTORIES WERE CLOSED DOWN WITHOUT ANY PRIOR NOTIFICATION TO THE WORKERS CONCERNED.
+ALTHOUTH THERE IS NO STATUTORY REQUIREMENT FOR THE EMPLOYERS TO INFORM THE IR WORKERS BEFOREHAND, THEY SHOULD SHOW MORE CONSIDERATION FOR THEIR WORKERS.
+ IT IS THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF EFFECTIVE AND SINCERE TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION, THE FOSTERING OF BETTER UNDERSTANDING AND GOODWILL THAT OUR INDÚSTRIES WILL HAVE A SOLID AND BETTER BASIS FROM WHICH TO FACE THE FUTURE, HE SAID.
MR WONG ALSO URGED THAT THE PROVISION OF RECREATIONAL FACILITIES BY THE GOVERNMENT, SUCH AS THE RECREATION AND SPORTS CAMP IN SAI KUNG, BE ACCELERATED.
IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, HE SAID, CERTAIN PRIORITIES SHOULD BE GIVEN TO ORGANISED PARTICIPANTS FROM THE INDUSTRIAL SECTOR SO THAT WORKERS COULD HAVE MORE RECREATIONAL OUTLET.
COMMENTING ON THE BUDGETARY POLICY, MR WONG SAID WHILE FLEXIBILITY IS NEEDED TO ALLOW FOR ADJUSTMENTS ACCORDING TO CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT ONCE A PROGRAMME IS APPROVED, ITS TIMING OF IMPLEMENTATION SHOULD AS FAR AS POSSIBLE NOT BE DISRUPTED, UNLESS THERE ARE OVERRIDING POLITICAL OR ECONOMIC REASONS FOR DOING SO.
+THIS IS BECAUSE THE PENALTY FOR THE SLIPPAGE IN THE PROVISION OF AN ESSENTIAL ITEM IN THE BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE CAN BE EXTREMELY SERIOUS TO THE COMMUNITY IN THE LONG TERM.+
HE CITED THE ISLAND EASTERN CORRIDOR AS AN EXAMPLE OF THIS
SLIPPAGE.
HE STRESSED THAT ALTHOUGH THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD OBSERVE CERTAIN PRINCIPLES IN BUDGETARY POLICY-MAKING, IT SHOULD BE PLANNING OVER A BROADER TIME-SPAN OF SAY, THREE TO FIVE YEARS, RATHER THAN JUST THE YEAR WHICH IS BEING BUDGETTED FOR.
+FOR EXAMPLE, THE GROWTH RATE IN PUBLIC EXPENDITURE MAY BE ALLOWED TO EXCEED THE GROWTH RATE IN GDP IN A CERTAIN YEAR, PROVIDED THAT THE TWO GROWTH RATES ARE IN LINE WITH EACH OTHER OVER A PERIOD OF, SAY, THREE YEARS.
+IN THIS WAY, THE GROWTH IN PUBLIC SECTOR EXPENDITURE WILL HAVE REGARD TO THE CHANGING ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES, WHILE AT THE SAME. TIME IT WILL NOT BE SO ABRUPTLY AFFECTED BY SHORT-TERM ECONOMIC FLUCTUATIONS TO THE EXTENT OF DISRUPTING ESSENTIAL PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMMES, HE SAID.
TURNING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIGHER TECHNOLOGY, MR WONG SAID THAT OUR INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT HAD ALREADY REACHED A STAGE WHEN WE SHOULD SERIOUSLY CONSIDER PROMOTING AND COORDINATING OUR OWN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS IN A MORE ACTIVE MANNER.
/+LIMITED