THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 1981
17
+WHILST THE ECONOMY MAY HAVE GROWN LARGE ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO ABSORB A LARGER PUBLIC SECTOR, I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT IT WOULD BE PRUDENT FOR THE PUBLIC SECTOR TO CONSUME RESOURCES AT THE RATE OF ADVANCE THAT WE HAVE EXPERIENCED OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, PARTICULARLY WHEN WE HAVE TO CONSIDER AN ECONOMY AS EXTERNALLY- ORIENTED AND AS VULNERABLE TO FLUCTUATIONS IN EXTERNAL DEMAND AS OURS.+
HE URGED THE GOVERNMENT TO CONSIDER RE-ESTABLISHING A CE IL ING FOR THE RELATIVE SIZE OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR.
+THIS CEILING MIGHT SEEM TO BE WHOLLY ARBITRARY, BUT PERSONALLY BELIEVE THAT, IN OUR CIRCUMSTANCES, PRUDENT TO HAVE ONE, HE ADDED.
Į AGREE,
IT WOULD BE
COVERED NULLAHS IMPROVE HYGIENE
******
THE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN ASKED TO DEVISE AND IMPLEMENT WAYS AND MEANS TO DEAL WITH THE LARGE OPEN NULLAHS WHICH HAVE CAUSED ANNOYANCE TO MANY PEOPLE.
IN MAKING THE REQUEST THE HON ANDREW SO REFERRED PARTICULARLY TO THOSE AT KAI TAK, IN TUEN MUN, YUEN LONG, KAM TIN AND ABERDEEN.
+THEY OFTEN EMIT OFFENSIVE SMELLS AND BREED MOSQUITOES WHICH ADVERSELY AFFECT THE MENTAL AS WELL AS PHYSICAL HEALTH OF THE RESIDENTS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD, HE SAID.
IF POSSIBLE, MR SO SUGGESTED, THESE NULLAHS SHOULD BE COVERED UP.
+THIS WILL NOT ONLY IMPROVE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE, BUT WILL ALSO PROVIDE MORE OPEN SPACES AND ROAD SURFACES AND, MOREOVER, HONG KONG CAN LIVE UP TO ITS NAME OF THE FRAGRANT HARBOUR. +
COMMENTING ON ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION, MR SO SAID : +OWING TO THE DENSE POPULATION, THE SMALL AREA AND THE SOPHISTICATED DEVELOPMENT OF COMMERCE, INDUSTRY AND THE COMMUNITY IN HONG KONG, IT IS SO MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO CARRY OUT THE WORK OF PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT.
+ IN ACCEPTING REALITY THE HONG KONG PEOPLE HAVE SHOWN MAXIMUM TOLERANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION.+
HE WAS HOPEFUL THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, SET UP IN NOVEMBER LAST YEAR, WILL CONTRIBUTE CONSIDERABLY IN FORMULATING POLICY AND GIVING ADVICE ON THE PROTECTION OF OUR ENVIRONMENT.
TO PREVENT THE ENVIRONMENT FROM BEING FURTHER POLLUTED, MR SO ADDED, THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY INTRODUCED A NUMBER OF MEASURES INCLUDING THE IMPLEMENTATION IN THE NEAR FUTURE OF WATER QUALITY CONTROL- THE INTRODUCTION OF THE AIR POLLUTION CONTROL BILL AND NOISE ABATEMENT BILL, AND BY TIGHTENING CONTROL OVER POISONOUS GASES AND DUST AT CONSTRUCTION SITES.