THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1981
11
+ I HOPE WITHIN THIS YEAR TO ESTABLISH AN AMERICAN OFFICE FOR THE PURPOSE OF INDUSTRIAL PROMOTION, SAID MR DOWARD.
+ I HAVE DETECTED A GROWING AWARENESS OF THE POTENTIAL OF HONG KONG AS A MARKET AND AS AN ENTREPOT, AN AWARENESS THAT ALL SECTORS IN HONG KONG WOULD DO WELL TO STIMULATE AS THE U.S. SHOWS GREATER AND GREATER INTEREST IN EXPORT DEVELOPMENT.+
REFERRING TO THE PROBLEMS OF PROTECTIONISM, MR DORWARD SAID: +1 DO BELIEVE THAT ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE COUNTERS TO THEM IS TO STIMULATE THE INTEREST OF THE COUNTRIES CONCERNED TO SELL TO US. THE NEW FOUND COMPETITIVENESS OF THE U.S. TEXTILE INDUSTRY, FOR EXAMPLE, SHOULD MEAN THAT IT CAN OBTAIN FOR ITSELF A LARGER SHARE OF OUR YARNS AND FABRICS MARKET WHICH, AT OVER HK$14 BILLION A YEAR, IS ONE OF THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD.+
REFERRING TO A PLEA FOR GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION TO ASSIST THE DYEING AND FINISHING INDUSTRY, MR DORWARD SAID HE HAD INITIATED A SURVEY OF INDUSTRY OPINION THREE YEARS PREVIOUSLY, BUT THE RESPONSE HAD BEEN GENERALLY UNENTHUSIASTIC,
+WHEN THE PROPOSAL WAS REVIVED RECENTLY, THE FEDERATION OF HONG KONG INDUSTRIES DECIDED TO CONDUCT A FULL STUDY OF THE SITUATION AND TO TRY TO PROVIDE GOVERNMENT WITH A DETAILED ASSESSMENT OF THE
EEDS OF THE INDUSTRY AND PROPOSALS SHOWING THE LAND AND !FRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS, TAKING FULL ACCOUNT OF THE EVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS OF THE PROBLEM. THE RESULTS OF THAT STUDY ..ILL BE GIVEN CAREFUL CONSIDERATION WHEN RECEIVED, CONCLUDED
R DORWARD.
HOUSING OUTPUT HIGHEST EVER ACHIEVED IN HONG KONG
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DURING 1980/81, COMBINED HOUSING PRODUCTION FROM THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS TOTALLED WELL OVER 60 000 FLATS THE HIGHEST OUTPUT EVER ACHIEVED IN HONG KONG.
THE SECRETARY FOR HOUSING, THE HON DONALD LIAO, SAID THIS IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY DURING THE RESUMED BUDGET DEBATE.
ON THE PUBLIC HOUSING FRONT, HE SAID THE HOUSING AUTHORITY HAD PRODUCED A RECORD 35 443 FLATS, AN ADDITIONAL 1 506 HAD BEEN PROVIDED UNDER THE PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION SCHEME OF THE HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME AND THE HOUSING SOCIETY HAD PRODUCED 618 MORE FLATS A +MOST SATISFACTORY START+ TO THE FIRST YEAR OF THE NEW DECADE.
AS A RESULT OF THE HIGH LEVEL OF PRODUCTION, THE AUTHORITY HAD BEEN ABLE TO MARGINALLY REDUCE THE WAITING LIST IN THE PAST TWO YEARS, SAID MR LIAO.
HE SAID THAT HE WAS CONSCIOUS OF THE NEED TO FURTHER REDUCE THE LIST AND THE WAITING TIME, THEREBY ENCOURAGING ALL FAMILIES IN NEED OF HOUSING TO APPLY THROUGH THE LIST.
+THIS UNDERLINES THE NEED TO INCREASE OUR PRODUCTION OF ALL TYPES OF PUBLIC HOUSING WHENEVER POSSIBLE,+ HE SAID.
+SUFFICIENT LAND