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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1985
+ HOPE THE FINAL DECISION WILL BE TAKEN TO GO AHEAD. IT IS A COMPLICATED EQUATION FROM AN ENGINEERING POINT OF VIEW, BUT I HOPE THAT ALL THOSE PROBLEMS WILL BE SORTED OUT AND THAT THE GO-AHEAD WOULD BE VERY SOON.
+SO THAT AGAIN IS VERY BIG NEWS FOR HONG KONG, BECAUSE THE INVESTMENT IN THE EXTENSION OF THE CONTAINER PORT RUNS INTO BILLIONS OF DOLLARS,+ SIR DAVID SAID.
THE CHIEF SECRETARY WAS REPLYING TO QUESTIONS FROM THE PRESS AFTER OPENING THE SPORTS CENTRE OF MODERN TERMINALS LIMITED IN KWAI CHUNG THIS MORNING.
ASKED TO EXPLAIN THE ENGINEERING COMPLICATIONS HE REFERRED TO SIR DAVID SAID: IT IS A LARGE RECLAMATION. THE WATER IS VERY DEEP AND DECIDING EXACTLY HOW YOU ARE TO RECLAIM IT AND WHERE THE FILL FOR THE RECLAMATION IS TO COME FROM IS QUITE A COMPLICATED ENGINEERING EQUATION. +
ASKED IF THE GOVERNMENT WOULD CARRY OUT THE RECLAMATION, SIR DAVID REPLIED: +NO. JUST AS WE DID THESE TERMINALS HERE, WE ACTUALLY DISPOSE OF THE SEA BED AND THEN THE OPERATORS OR THE APPLICANTS GET ON WITH DOING THE WORK THEMSELVES. IN THAT WAY YOU ACHIEVE A MUCH MORE EFFICIENT AND QUICK SOLUTION.+
EARLIER. SIR DAVID EXPLAINED TO REPORTERS THAT HE HAD GONE TO OPEN THE SPORTS CENTRE AND ALSO TO SEE THE CONTAINER PORT, AND THAT HE WOULD LATER BE GOING TO TSING YI +TO HAVE A LOOK ROUND AND SEE THE DEVELOPMENT ON TSING YI AND TO LEARN ABOUT SOME OF THE IR PROBLEMS FIRST HAND.+
+I HAVEN'T, SIR DAVID SAID, +COME TO KWAI CHUNG AND TSING YI TO TALK ABOUT CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT. I THINK WE'VE HAD ENOUGH ON CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR A FEW DAYS, REALLY. BUT I HOPE YOU ALL WILL GET THE SAME FEELING OF EXCITEMENT THAT ! GET WHEN I COME TO KWAI CHUNG AND SEE THIS TREMENDOUS DEVELOPMENT AND I HOPE YOU FEEL AS PROUD AS I DO OF HONG KONG TO HAVE REALLY WHAT IS THE THIRD LARGEST CONTAINER PORT IN THE WORLD, WHICH IS REALLY A TREMENDOUS ACHIEVEMENT FOR THIS SMALL PLACE TO HAVE ACHIEVED IN WORLD DIMENSION.+
ASKED WHETHER HE EXPECTED ANY DELAY IN THE NEXT MEETING OF THE SINO-BRITISH LAND COMMISSION, SIR DAVID SAID: NO. THE LAND COMMISSION MEETING WAS POSTPONED FOR VERY GOOD REASONS - THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF TECHNICAL PAPERS TO BE READ AND DIGESTED AND A SHORT DELAY WAS VERY REASONABLE.+
SIR DAVID ADDED THAT HE WOULD NOT LIKE TO SPECULATE ON THE AGENDA OF THE LAND COMMISSION AND THE NATURE OF THE PAPERS THAT THEY WERE CONSIDERING.
/+BUT LAND