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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1987

"ON TOP OF THESE OBLIGATIONS, THERE IS THE ANNUAL PAY, INFLATION FOR SUPPLIES AND SERVICES. IF ONE DOES NOT FACTORS INTO SERIOUS CONSIDERATION, IT

ANNUAL RETURN

AND

AND SOONER OR LATER IT DIFFICULTIES, HE SAID.

TH

ON VOCATIONAL TRAINING, MR CHAN SAID 1982 THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL HAD TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND THE TOTAL NUMBER INSTITUTES HAD BEEN DOUBLED.

INCREASE OF TAKE THESE

WOULD MEAN A DIMINISHING WOULD RUN INTO FINANCIAL

SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN MADE RAPID PROGRESS IN OF PLACES IN TECHNICAL

"BUT EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE IS THE 18,000 OR SO PLACES FOR SKILL TRAINING WHICH THE COUNCIL HAS BROUGHT INTO BEING IN THE TRAINING CENTRES IT HAD ESTABLISHED,' HE SAID.

M

"HAVING THE ABILITY TO BRING INTO EXISTENCE ADDITIONAL TRAINING PLACES IS IMPORTANT. BUT WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING ECONOMY, IN WHICH THE VARIOUS SECTORS WITHIN THE ECONOMY ARE CHANGING AT VARYING RATES, IS THAT THE MANPOWER TRAINING SYSTEM MUST, IF IT IS TO SERVICE THE ECONOMY, HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO REACT QUICKLY ΤΟ THE CHANGES."

MR CHAN SAID HE WAS GLAD THAT THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL HAD BEEN ENDOWED WITH THIS FLEXIBILITY BY THE WAY WHICH THE GOVERNMENT IN ITS WISDOM HAD DECIDED TO FINANCE IT FROM THE VERY OUTSET.

ON THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT, MR CHAN SAID HE WAS NOT SHOCKED BY THE MISSING STEEL RODS IN THE DAYA BAY PROJECT, AS HE HAD POINTED OUT IN HIS SPEECH ON JULY 16, 1986 "THAT DUE то HUMAN ERRORS, COMPUTER FAULTS AND UNFORESEEN REASONS, THERE IS NO ABSOLUTE SAFETY”.

"TO EXPLAIN AWAY THIS BLUNDER. IT WAS SAID THAT SIMILAR INCIDENTS HAD HAPPENED BEFORE IN SUCH PROJECTS.

"DOES THIS MEAN THAT ONE DOES NOT LEARN FROM PAST ERRORS BUT PERPETUATES THEM?

"IF SHAKESPEARE LIVES TO THIS DAY, HE MAY HAVE ΤΟ REWRITE JULIUS CAESAR, FOR THOSE WHO TOLD THE PUBLIC THAT NUCLEAR POWER IS SAFE, AS 'YET BRUTUS SAYS IT IS SAFE AND BRUTUS IS AN HONOURABLE MAN, SO ARE THEY ALL, ALL HONOURABLE MEN'

.

H

MR CHAN SAID WE COULD NOW ONLY PRAY THAT NO HUMAN ERRORS AND DELAYED ADVICE AROSE WERE MADE IN OPERATIONS IN FUTURE.

ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS, HE SAID WE MUST GET THE ANSWER RIGHT IN RESPECT OF CABLE TELEVISION.

"THE HONG KONG PUBLIC WILL NOT RECEIVE KINDLY THE SERVICES OF A NEWCOMER WHO CANNOT EVEN RENDER A BILL CORRECTLY AND HAS BEEN BY AS MUCH AS SIX FIGURES IN STERLING, HE SAID.

OUT

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