WEDNESDAE.
THE REV JOYCE BENNETT TOOK THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT TASK FOR
IN THE METHODS OF RESTRAINT WHICH SHE SAID HAD BEEN USED IN HONG KONG PREVIOUSLY AND ALREADY FOUND TO BE INEFFECTIVE.
+1 CONSIDER MR SCOTT'S METHODS TO BE INFLATIONARY AND
I MUST OPPOSE THEM ON THOSE GROUNDS, SHE SAID, ADDING THAT THE EXTRA COST OF OWNING A CAR WOULD BE ABSORBED BY CAR OWNERS WITH A SHRUG AND A DETERMINATION TO GET A BIGGER MONTHLY PAY PACKET TO COPE WITH THE RISING COSTS.
SAID MISS BENNETT: +MR SCOTT HIMSELF ADMITTED THAT HIS INCREASE IN THE DUTY ON LIGHT OILS DOES NO MORE THAN BRING IT UP TO THE LEVEL OF INCIDENCE OF 1976'.
+CLEARLY IT HAS ALREADY BEEN ACCEPTED IN THAT LIGHT.
+ I BELIEVE IN THE LONG TERM THE INCREASE IN THE FIRST REGISTRATION TAX AND THE ANNUAL LICENCE FEES WILL BE SIMILARLY REGARDED.+
MISS BENNETT STRESSED THAT THE NUMBER OF CARS ON THE ROADS MUST BE REDUCED OR AT THE VERY LEAST KEPT AT A NIL GROWTH RATE.
SHE NOTED, HOWEVER, THAT THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT CONSIDERED THAT THERE WOULD BE INSURMOUNTABLE DIFFICULTIES IN LIMITING THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES.
BUT MISS BENNETT THOUGHT HIS +GREAT DIFFICULTIES+ COULD SURELY BE OVERCOME BY DRACONIAN METHODS IF HE REALLY GAVE HIS MIND TO THE PROBLEM.
IN SINGAPORE, SHE POINTED OUT, THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES ARE LIMITED BY INSISTING THAT AS ONE NEW VEHICLE IS LICENSED, ONE OLD VEHICLE MUST BE DESTROYED.
+1 DO NOT THINK THAT THE EXAMPLE OF SINGAPORE SHOULD BE SO LIGHTLY DISMISSED AS UNWORKABLE, SHE SAID. +I CONSIDER HONG KONG ADMINISTRATORS ARE JUST AS CAPABLE AS THOSE IN SINGAPORE OF DEVISING PRACTICAL METHODS.+
MISS BENNETT ALSO SUGGESTED THAT IF THE OWNERSHIP OF A NEW CAR DEPENDED ON A LOTTERY SYSTEM PERHAPS CARS WOULD NO LONGER BE A STATUS SYMBOL AND FEW PEOPLE WOULD SEE THE NEED FOR POSSESSING ONE.
AS MR S.L. CHEN SAW IT, A MORE SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE AND CERTAINLY MORE EFFECTIVE MEANS TO EASE ROAD CONGESTION WOULD BE TO PUT A LIMIT ON THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES ALLOWED ON THE ROAD.
+ONE POSSIBLE METHOD OF DISTRIBUTION IS TO ALLOCATE THE ADDITIONAL VEHICLES ONLY TO GENUINE FIRST-TIME OWNERS WHO ARE IN NEED OF A CAR AND HAVE THE MEANS TO AFFORD IT. HE SAID.