XN000022-1973-03-14 — Page 3

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Wednesday, March 14, 1973

He urged the Government to reflect carefully on the need to

prevent further exorbitant increases and advocated "a measure of control"

to stop rises of unjustified proportions.

In his opinion, the key to a solution to this particular problem

was to speed up land sales.

Turning to transport, Mr. Woo called for a complete reorganisation

of the Transport Department along the lines of a high-powered Transport

Authority.

He suggested that the Authority should be headed by a very senior

officer who should be appointed at the highest level in Government not only

to coordinate "but to initiate, direct and enforce the massive effort which

has to be made in this sphere of Government activity."

Transport Problems

"So far as the improvement of our increasingly chaotic traffic

and transport problems are concerned," he said, "it is not only a question

of staff but also of vastly improving the present organisation within Government

for dealing with these matters."

He added: "The Transport Department is quite inadequate as a

control instrument due both to lack of adequate top class managerial staff

and also due to lack of powers. **

"It can devise but has no authority to enforce measures of control

which will be effective."

Mr. Woo singled out several other areas in which "grossly inadequate

staff were provided to undertake unfinished tasks and called for a very

special effort to fill the gaps.

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