XN000022-1973-04-10 — Page 21

Tuesday, April 10, 1973

"Playgrounda

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obviously they give pleasure, but I entirely agree

with you that they are of immense social importance and that there are far

too few of them. In a mini-blitz during and subsequent to the "Keep Hong

Kong Clean" campaign about 45 new sites for recreation areas have been

formed or found, and 32 additional provisional sites have been located.

"The beach facilities and guards that you manage are vital services,

and the swimming complexes must be amongst the finest civic amenities in the

world.

**Then there is the whole field of civic entertainment. In recent

years and months in both the Hong Kong Festivals and the Festival of the Arts,

peoples hunger for cultural enjoyment has been amply proved, and I hope that

the Council will continue to expand the imaginative services which it already

provides and provides for all tastes.

New Momentum

"The list of your appointed activities is of course much longer, but the

point I want to make is that in some cities these sorts of services and amenities

can be taken as a matter of course, but for Hong Kong real excellence in these

fields could go so far to mitigate the hardships of a densely packed population,

just as failure could make them unendurable.

"I believe that the new arrangements for the Council will give it

new financial and administrative freedom. With the sheets eased the ship

should gather way. If this is how you feel I think it comes at the right time.

"As you know, the Government is committed to social advance on a broad

front. The will and the means are there. The sectors covered so far are:

education, particularly provision of universal secondary education and the

overhaul of the examination system which this will permit, and the considerable

expansion of technical education.

/"Secondly,