XN000022-1972-03-15 — Page 15

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Wednesday, March 15, 1972

HON. SZETO WAT CRITICISES UNDER EXPENDITURE

Progress Of Social, Community Services Retarded

The Hon. Szeto Wai today voiced strong criticisms of Government's

budgetary policies when he spoke at the resumed Budget Debate in the Legislative

Council.

He said he could not but "appal the continued deliberate under-estimating

of revenue which has been allowed to inhibit expenditure and thereby retard

the progress of our social and community services."

"It is all the more difficult to justify, in the face of this year's

whacking surplus, the increase of water charges, the meagre provision of public

assistance and the stubborn resistance towards improving our technical education,"

he added.

It was regrettable, Mr. Szeto Wai said, that on occasions of Budget

Debate it was invariably the Financial Secretary's prerogative to have the last

say and Unofficial Members' vindication inevitably came a year late!

He recalled the many years during which the former Financial Secretary,

Sir John Cowperthwaite, had produced large surpluses and described this as "an

amazing feat," He said either Sir John's control over spending was excessive

or his crystal ball for revenue estimation needed polishing or a more realistic

interpretation by its master.

"In any event, such extraordinary inaccuracies have now become the rule

rather than the exception and one can no longer dismiss them as just incorrect

estimation," Mr. Szeto Wai said.

/He said ......