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SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 1987
SURVEY OFFICE CAN CONDUCT OWN OPINION SURVEY
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THE SURVEY OFFICE WILL BE ABLE TO CONDUCT ITS OWN PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY ON THE GREEN PAPER ON POLITICAL REVIEW IF NECESSARY, THE ACTING GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY (SUNDAY).
SIR DAVID WAS SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER OFFICIATING AT A +CELEBRITY TREE PLANTING+ ACTIVITY AT HO! HA, SAI KUNG.
ASKED WHETHER THE SURVEY OFFICE WOULD LAUNCH A TERRITORY- WIDE SURVEY TO ASSESS THE OPINION OF THE SILENT MAJORITY ON THE GREEN PAPER, HE SAID THE TERMS OF THE OFFICE HAD BEEN VERY CARFFULLY DRAFTED SO THAT THEY GAVE IT VERY WIDE POWERS TO ENSURE THAT PUBLIC OPINION WAS PROPERLY COLLECTED AND REPOPTED TO THE GOVERNOR.
+AND IT DOES GIVE POWERS TO THE SURVEY OFFICE ITSELF TO CONDUCT ITS OWN PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY IF IT THINKS IT IS NECESSARY.
+50 IF YOU LOOK AT THE POWERS OF THE SURVEY OFFICE THINK YOU WILL FIND THEY ARE VERY WIDE. INDEED,+ SIR DAVİD SAID.
D'SAID
ASKED WHY IT WOULD BE NECESSARY FOR THE GOVERNOR-IN-COUNCIL TO ASSESS THE INFORMATION COLLECTED BY THE SURVEY OFFICE, SIR DAVID SAID THAT IN THE COMING GREEN PAPER THERE WOULD BE A WIDE VARIETY OF QUESTIONS TO BE ADDRESSED.
HE SAID THE MATTERS CONCERNED ARE QUITE COMPLICATED AND THE OPTIONS FOR CHANGE ARE ALSO QUITE COMPLICATED, SO WE NEED TO SEPARATE THE TWO ASPECTS TO THIS.
+FIRST OF ALL, THE SURVEY: WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING, THEN TO SORT OUT THE IR FEELINGS AND THEN TO FORM AN ASSESSMENT AND ULTIMATELY TO COME TO DECISIONS AS TO WHAT WE ARE TO DO.+
SIR DAVID SAID THIS WOULD NOT BE AS SIMPLE AS THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE OVER THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION WHICH HE SAID WAS +REALLY MORE COMPARABLE WITH A WHITE PAPER THAN WITH A GREEN PAPER+,
ASKED TO COMMENT ON THE MEETING BETWEEN THE BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER SIR GEOFFREY HOWE AND HIS CHINESE COUNTERPART MR WU XUEQIAN, SIR DAVID SAID IT WAS +A VERY GOOD THING+ THAT IT DID OCCUR FROM TIME TO TIME.
HE ADDED: +THE SUBJECT OF THEIR DISCUSSIONS OF COURSE CENTRES ON HONG KONG, BUT EXACTLY WHAT THEY TALK AROUT IS ENTIRELY FOR THEM TO DECIDE.+
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