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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1982
HK FACING NEW CHALLENGE IN KEEPING BIRTH-RATE DOWN BREMRIDGE
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HONG KONG IS NOW FACING A NEW CHALLENGE IN KEEPING DOWN THE FERTILITY RATE, AS A RESULT OF THE BIG INFLUX OF CHINESE IMMIGRANTS AND VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE, THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, MR JOHN BREMRIDGE SAID TODAY.
SPEAKING AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE FAMILY PLANNING ASSOCIATION, MR BREMRIDGE POINTED OUT THAT ABOUT 600 000 CHINESE IMMIGRANTS ARRIVED DURING THE 1970'S, NEARLY 400 000 OF THEM BETWEEN 1978 AND 1981, AND THERE WERE ALSO MANY VIETNAMESE BOAT REFUGEES.
•COMPARED WITH THE LOCAL POPULATION, THEY ARE LESS EDUCATED AND HAVE HIGHER FERTILITY. CLEARLY THEY WILL HAVE A MARKED IMPACT ON THE FERTILITY PERFORMANCE OF THE POPULATION IF NOTHING IS DONE TO CHANGE THIS.
+I AM GLAD THAT THE ASSOCIATION HAS ALREADY LASNCHED PROGRAMMES FOR THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, AND HAS EXPLORED VARIOUS APPROACHES TO REACH THE CHINESE IMMIGRANTS,+ HE SAID.
MR BREMRIDGE SAID THERE HAD BEEN SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN POPULATION IN THE PAST THREE DECADES.
IN THE 1950'S FERTILITY REMAINED HIGH, MORTALITY LOW AND DECLINING AND INWARD MIGRATION WAS THE SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN THE POPULATION GROWTH,
+THE NEXT TEN YEARS SAW A MARKED FALL IN THE RATE OF POPULATION GROWTH: 2.3 PER CENT GROWTH BETWEEN 1961 AND 1971 AS AGAINST 4.5 PER CENT FOR 1951-61.
+THIS WAS THE RESULT OF A SUBSTANTIAL DECLINE IN FERTILITY RATES AND A RELATIVELY LOW RATE OF MIGRATION AS COMPARED WITH THE PREVIOUS PERIOD,+ HE SAID.
IN THE LAST DECADE, FERTILITY DECLINED FURTHER AND THERE WAS A REDUCTION IN THE RATE OF NATURAL INCREASE, BUT WITH A LARGE INFLUX OF MIGRANTS FROM 1978 TO 1980, THE POPULATION PASSED THE FIVE MILLION MARK, REACHING 5.2 MILLION THIS YEAR.
MR BREMRIDGE SAID THAT, WITHOUT THIS DECLINE IN FERTILITY IN THE PAST 20 YEARS, THE POPULATION WOULD HAVE INCREASED AT A FASTER RATE AND BY NOW WOULD HAVE BEEN ABOUT 6.5 MILLION.
HE SAID THERE WAS NO DOUBT THAT THE PRESENT STANDARD OF LIVING COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED IF THERE WERE AN INCREASE OF ALMOST ONE-AND-A-HALF MILLION MORE PEOPLE AGED UNDER 20.
+THIS BRIEF REVIEW OF THE PERIOD 1951-1981 SHOWS HOW IMPORTANT AND NECESSARY WAS THE DECLINE IN FERTILITY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG: AND THE FERTILITY DECLINE WAS IN LARGE MEASURE A RESULT OF THE GOOD WORK OF YOUR ASSOCIATION, WHICH HAS TIRELESSLY PROMOTED FAMILY PLANNING THROUGHOUT THE PAST 25 YEARS, HE SAID.
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