WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1980
DEVELOPMENT CONSTRAINTS AND OPTIONS
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HONG KONG IS FACED WITH A SERIOUS PROBLEM OF CHOICE IN HOW BEST TO APPLY THE CONSIDERABLE BUT LIMITED RESOURCES FOR PUBLIC SECTOR CAPITAL EXPENDITURE TO A WHOLE GALAXY OF DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS.
ADDRESSING THE ZONTA CLUB AT A LUNCHEON MEETING TODAY, SECRETARY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT MR DEREK JONES ILLUSTRATED THE CHOICES AVAILABLE BY TAKING THREE EXAMPLES, EACH OF WHICH, HE ASSUMED, COULD ACCOMMODATE AN EXTRA TWO MILLION PEOPLE.
+THE FIRST IS THE BELT OF TERRITORY JUST BEYOND THE INNER HARBOUR STRETCHING FROM LANTAU, THROUGH TSUEN WAN, ACROSS TO SHATIN AND MA ON SHAN AND EXTENDING ROUND TO JUNK BAY, HE SAID. +PROPERLY DEVELOPED, THIS COULD ACCOMMODATE AN EXTRA TWO MILLION POPULATION.+
+THE SECOND IS THE OUTER BELT, MUCH CLOSER TO THE BORDER STRETCHING FROM TUEN MUN AND PILLAR POINT IN THE WEST THROUGH THE NORTHWEST NEW TERRITORIES, YUEN LONG AND ACROSS TO FANLING, SHEUNG SHUI AND THE NORTHEAST.+
+THE THIRD IS THE INNER, SAID MR JONES. +IT WOULD INVOLVE A SERIES OF MEASURES, INCLUDING MAXIMUM REDEVELOPMENT IN THE EXISTING URBAN AREA, KAI TAK DEVELOPMENT AND FURTHER RECLAMATIONS AROUND THE HARBOUR, INCLUDING POSSIBLY AROUND STONECUTTERS
ISLAND. +
HE ADDED : NONE OF THEM WILL NECESSARILY HAPPEN AND WE MAY END UP WITH BITS OF EACH, BUT THEY ILLUSTRATE THE CHOICES AVAILABLE.+
THERE ARE MORE AMBITIOUS OPTIONS, HE CONTINUED, THE KEYS OF WHICH ARE A POSSIBLE NEW AIRPORT TO REPLACE KAI TAK, AND A NEW CONTAINER PORT TO SUPPLEMENT KWAI CHUNG.
+THEY TAKE OUR HORIZON BEYOND THE EIGHTIES, AND SOMETIMES EVEN BEYOND THE NINETIES AND INTO THE NEXT CENTURY SAID MR JONES.
HOWEVER, BY THE LATTER PART OF 1978 AND EARLY 1979 EXPENDITURE WAS RISING SO RAPIDLY THAT, WHEN ADDED TO AN EQUALLY RAPID GROWTH IN PRIVATE SECTOR CAPITAL SPENDING, IT WAS OVERSTRAINING THE ECONOMY - PARTICULARLY THE CONSTRUCTION
INDUSTRY -- AND WAS PRODUCING SERIOUS OVERHEATING.
THE RATE OF INCREASE OF EXPENDITURE, THEREFORE, HAD TO BE SLOWED DOWN.
THE TASK BEFORE THE GOVERNMENT, SAID MR JONES, WAS TO CHOOSE A PATTERN OF DEVELOPMENT THAT COULD BE AFFORDED, THAT TOOK ACCOUNT OF ALL THE FACTORS AND ELEMENTS THAT NEEDED TO BE FITTED INTO THE JIGSAW AND WHICH YIELDED THE BEST OVERALL RETURN TO THE COMMUNITY FROM THE INVESTMENTS INVOLVED.
+WE DO NOT NEED, AND CANNOT HAVE, THE WIDOW'S CRUSE, BUT THE EXPANDABLE PINT POT, EXPANDING WITH THE GROWTH OF THE NATIONAL INCOME, IS WITHIN OUR GRASP,+ MR JONES SAID.
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