WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1963
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LAND WILL CONTINUE TO BE PROVIDED
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THE GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE TO INVEST IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE NECESSARY FOR HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
SIR EDWARD POINTED OUT THAT A READY SUPPLY OF LAND WAS ESSENTIAL FOR THIS PURPOSE, BUT OUR LAND PRODUCTION PROGRAMME SHOULD NOT BE TOO INFLUENCED BY SHORT-TERM MARKET CONDITIONS.+
THE GOVERNMENT, HE SAID, WOULD CONTINUE TO MAKE AVAILABLE AS MUCH LAND AS WAS REQUIRED FOR GENUINE DEVELOPMENT, LEAVING IT TO THE FREE OPERATION OF MARKET FORCES TO DETERMINE THE DEVELOPMENT VALUE OF LAND.
+WE HAVE NOT HAD AND DO NOT HAVE A HIGH LAND PRICE' POLICY, HE DECLARED.
TOTAL LAND PRODUCTION FOR THIS FINANCIAL YEAR WAS EXPECTED TO BE 593 HECTARES, INCLUDING 77 HECTARES FOR INDUSTRY AND, IN EACH OF THE FOLLOWING TWO YEARS, TOTAL PRODUCTION WAS EXPECTED TO EXCEED THE FIGURE FOR THIS YEAR, SIR EDWARD SAID.
ON LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, THE GOVERNOR SAID THAT BY THE END OF THIS DECADE, THE NEW TOWN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES ALREADY IN TRAIN WOULD BE SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE.
+WE MUST NOW DECIDE ON A DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY WHICH BY THE TURN OF THE CENTURY CAN ACCOMMODATE THE NEEDS OF A POPULATION LIKELY TO BE OVER SEVEN MILLION PEOPLE, AS AGAINST JUST OVER FIVE MILLION AT PRESENT, AND A WORKFORCE OF ABOUT 3.4 MILLION PEOPLE, AS AGAINST 2.4 MILLION AT PRESENT, HE SAID.
SIR EDWARD SAID THAT WORK HAD BEEN PROCEEDING STEADILY FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS WITH SUB-REGIONAL STUDIES OF THE NORTHWEST AND NORTHEAST NEW TERRITORIES, THE HARBOUR AREA, LANTAU AND, JUNK BAY, SUPPLEMENTED BY OTHER STUDIES ON THE FUTURE LAND REQUIREMENTS OF MAJOR GOVERNMENT PROGRAMMES.
+THE RESULTS OF ALL THESE STUDIES ARE NOW BEING BROUGHT TOGETHER, AND WE INTEND TO MAKE PUBLIC OUR FINDINGS OVER THE COMING MONTHS AND TO TAKE DECISIONS BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT YEAR.
+ IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE CHOOSE A STRATEGY WHICH WILL BE BOTH RELEVANT TO OUR NEEDS AND WITHIN OUR MEANS,+ SIR EDWARD ADDED.
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