SATURDAY, MAY 25, 1905
CHANCE TO LEARN, LISTEN AND SEE ******
THE CHIEF SECRETARY (DESIGNATE), MR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID THIS (SATURDAY) MORNING THAT HE HAD +LEARNED A LOT, LISTENED TO A LOT, AND SEEN A LOT DURING HIS FIVE-WEEK OVERSEAS JOURNEY.
SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AT THE HUNG HOM KCR STATION ON HIS RETURN TO HONG KONG, HE SAID HE DID NOT HAVE ANY FORMAL BUSINESS TO CONDUCT DURING THESE VISITS.
HOWEVER, HE HAD A LOT OF INFORMAL AND FRIENDLY DISCUSSIONS WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN EUROPE, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, JAPAN AND CHINA.
GIVING REPORTERS A DETAILED ACCOUNT OF HIS JOURNEY WHICH COVERED BRUSSELS, GENEVA, WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, OTTAWA, TOKYO, BEIJING, SHANGHAI, FUZHOU, XIAMEN, AND GUANGZHOU, MR AKERS-JONES SAID HE FOUND THE TRIP MOST VALUABLE.
HE SAID HE WAS IMPRESSED BY THE IMMENSE AMOUNT OF ACTIVITIES AND THE IMPACT OF ECONOMIC REFORMS IN CHINA.
+ IN BEIJING I HAD A PARTICULARLY INTERESTING TIME WHERE I WAS APLE TO MEET OFFICIALS OF THE STATE PLANNING COMMISSION AND OF THE ECONOMIC RESEARCH DEPARTMENT OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES INSTITUTE,+ HE SAID.
+THIS GAVE ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN SOMETHING OF THE WORK WHICH GOES INTO THE PREPARATION OF THE FIVE-YEAR PLAN -- THE SEVENTH FIVE-YEAR PLAN WAS JUST COMING UP OF COURSE -- AND THE ANNUAL PLANS AND THE ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF WORK WHICH GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ECONOMIC REFORM PROGRAMME,+
THE CHIEF SECRETARY (DESIGNATE) ADDED THAT HE HAD HAD FRIENDLY AND INFORMAL CONVERSATIONS WITH STATE COUNCILLOR JI PENGFEI AND VICE MINISTER ZHOU NAN WHILE IN BEIJING.
+ IN SHANGHAI AND GUANGZHOU I WAS ABLE TO LEARN SOMETHING TOO OF THE PROBLEMS OF CITY PLANNING IN THESE CITIES WHICH HAVE MANY OF THE PROBLEMS WHICH WE IN HONG KONG HAVE FACED IN THE PAST 27 OR 30 YEARS WITH OUR CITY DEVELOPMENT, HE SAID.
IN REPLY TO A QUESTION, MR AKERS-JONES SAID HIS TRIP TO CHINA HAD REINFORCED HIS FAITH IN THE FUTURE SAR GOVERNMENT.
/+TIME AND