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FRIDAY, MAY 25, 1984
+ IN ADDITION THERE ARE, AS YOU KNOW, SOME VERY LARGE PRIVATE BUILDING PROJECTS AT PRESENT UNDER CONSTRUCTION, SUCH AS THE PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE, EXCHANGE SQUARE AND LAST, BUT NOT LEAST, THAT MOST PUBLICISED BUILDING IN THE WORLD ON QUEEN'S ROAD CENTRAL.
+AS HONG KONG AT PRESENT ABOUNDS IN PEOPLE PROFESSING TO HAVE PROPHETICAL POWERS I HOPE YOU WILL FORGIVE ME IF I REFRAIN FROM CRYSTAL BALL GASING AND MAKING SPECIFIC PRONOUNCEMENTS ABOUT THE FUTURE.
+1 WOULD, HOWEVER, LIKE TO MAKE THE GENERAL COMMENT THAT YOUR INSTITUTE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE A LONG AND CONTINUING ROLE TO PLAY IN THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG.+
AS EVIDENCE OF BRIGHTER PROSPECTS AROUND THE CORNER THE NUMBER OF BUILDING SUBMISSIONS RECEIVED BY THE BUILDINGS ORDINANCE OFFICE IN MARCH THIS YEAR HAD SHOWN A MARKED INCREASE OVER THE FIGURE FOR FEBRUARY, WHEN IT STOOD AT ITS LOWEST LEVEL SINCE 1975, MR CHAN SAID.
CONSIDER ALSO THE 1984 PROPERTY REVIEW COMPILED BY THE RATING AND VALUATION DEPARTMENT WHICH STATED THAT, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FLATTED FACTORIES, THE TAKE-UP OF RESIDENTIAL, OFFICE AND COMMERCIAL PROPERTY WAS RUNNING AT A HIGH LEVEL.
THIS WAS PARTICULARLY SO IN THE CASE OF SMALL RESIDENTIAL DOMESTIC UNITS WHERE TAKE-UP WAS AT RECORD LEVELS,
+SUCH WAS THE OPTIMISM OF THE COMMISSIONER OF RATING AND VALUATION THAT HE WAS PROMPTED TO STATE IN HIS LATEST REVIEW THAT PROPERTY YIELDS NOW LOOK FAIRLY ATTRACTIVE BY COMPARISON WITH OTHER FORMS OF INVESTMENT, MR CHAN SAID.
HE SAID HE APPRECIATED THAT IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT AT THE PRESENT TIME TO REMAIN AN OPTIMIST WHEN ONE WAS SUBJECTED TO AN ALMOST CONTINUOUS BARRAGE OF GLOOMY PREDICTIONS FOR THE FUTURE.
+PERSONALLY. I AM CONFIDENT THAT PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE ARE VERY GOOD FOR HONG KONG, MR, CHAN SAID.
+GOING ABOUT IN MY DAILY ROUTINE, I AM CONSTANTLY REMINDED OF THE INCOMPARABLE ASSETS WE POSSESS OUR STRATEGIC GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD, OUR MAGNIFICENT HARBOUR, THE EFFICIENT PORT AND AIRPORT, OUR FULL RANGE OF PHYSICAL, ECONOMIC AND COMMERCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND, ABOVE ALL, AN INTELLIGENT, INDUSTRIOUS AND RESILIENT POPULATION.
+WITH THESE FEW WORDS I WILL CONCLUDE BY SUGGESTING THAT "WE SHOULD ALL IGNORE THE PROPHETS OF GLOOM AND CONCENTRATE INSTEAD ON THE JOB IN HAND, THAT WE EACH DO OUR OWN PART IN THE BUILDING OF AN EVEN BETTER HONG KONG FOR THE FUTURE.+
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