XN000022-1972-11-01 — Page 9

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Wednesday, November 1, 1972

"I am absolutely convinced that even with additional recruitment which

the police and auxiliaries are carrying out, a neighbourhood watch system as

could be provided by residents' associations or street 'tenant patrols is the

solution.

"This is the traditional Chinese po kak - a district watch force. It

is not a private army", he said.

Crime of this nature and magnitude cannot be curbed without community

involvement, of which Hong Kong has a fine heritage, he said. "Let us not

lose it in the face of pressure."

Referring to the cost of living, Mr. Wong said it is second in importance

to law and order for the common people, and rent is the most important component.

"With the creeping inflation that we are facing, rent and the imposition

of new rates need special watching and a holding action as part of an overall

economic policy," he said.

He said there were loopholes to be plugged in the existing rent control

legislation although it was working out fairly well for premises with a rateable

value of under $1,500 per month.

The basis of reasonable rents, he said, is adequate housing, and housing

is the most important government undertaking in Hong Kong.

He said 60 per cent of the population should be housed in government

or government-aided housing if such an undertaking stabilised the cost of living

and therefore the labour content of the cost of production of the local

manufacturers.

At present, he said, 40 per cent is housed in this type of accommodation,

the rest living in private housing.

/However,