WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1981
ON RELATIONS WITH BRITAIN AND CHINA, SIR JACK SAID THE EXCELLENT RELATIONS WERE UNDERSCORED WITH THE RECENT VISITS BY MR REN ZHONGY. THE PARTY FIRST SECRETARY FOR GUANGDONG PROVINCE AND BY THE MAYOR OF SHANGHAI, MR WANG DAOHAN.
+SUCH VISITS, TOGETHER WITH THE MANY REGULAR LOWER-LEVEL CONTACTS, AND CONTINUING AND EXPANDING DEVELOPMENTS IN ECONOMIC COOPERATION, ARE MAKING A VALUABLE CONTRIBUTION TO HONG KONG'S FUTURE PROSPERITY AND STABILITY.+
REFERRING TO A POINT MADE BY THE HON LYDIA DUNN THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS LOSING CONTROL OVER THE GROWTH OF PUBLIC EXPENDITURE, SIR JACK SAID IT APPEARED THAT MISS DUNN HAD MISSED THE POINT THAT GROWTH IN PUBLIC SPENDING WAS BEING CUT.
+THIS OF COURSE REPRESENTS GOVERNMENT POLICY ALTHOUGH WE HAVE TO BE MOVED AS MUCH BY PRAGMATISM AS BY DOGMATISM, + HE SAID.
IT WOULD BE HELPFUL, HE ADDED, IF MISS DUNN MADE SPECIFIC MENTION OF FURTHER CUTS SHE WOULD LIKE TO SEE. +ARE WE TO PROVIDE FEWER SCHOOLS, FEWER HOSPITALS, WORSE ROADS, LESS PUBLIC HOUSING, OR FEWER POLICE?+ HE ASKED, ADDING IT IS SO EASY TO BE BROADLY CRITICAL IF THERE IS NO NEED TO BE PRECISE.+
ON TRANSPORT, SIR JACK SAID THE GOVERNMENT WAS DETERMINED TO MEET THIS CHALLENGE AND HE CONFIRMED THAT EXPENDITURE ON TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE WILL BE ACCORDED A VERY HIGH PRIORITY OUR FUTURE PLANS.
ON THE MASS MEDIA, SIR JACK SHARED THE HON SELINA CHOW'S VIEW THAT IN THE LIGHT OF THE GREAT INFLUENCE OF TELEVISION ON THE MINDS OF OUR PEOPLE, PARTICULARLY THE YOUNG, SOME FORM OF CONTROL OVER PROGRAMME-STANDARDS MUST BE RETAINED.
SIR JACK AGREED WITH THE HON MARIA TAM WHO HAD EMPHASISED THE DESIRABILITY OF A CLOSELY-COORDINATED APPROACH BY THE MANY AGENCIES INVOLVED IN TACKLING JUVENILE CRIME, BUT SAID THIS WAS EASIER SAID THAN DONE.
HOWEVER, IT WAS PRECISELY TO IMPROVE THIS SORT OF LIAISON THAT THE DISTRICT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE SYSTEM HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED, AND HE WAS SURE THAT THIS WOULD PROVE A USEFUL AND IMPORTANT VEHICLE TO HELP COORDINATION.
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