XN000022-1978-03-10 — Page 7

FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 1978

PARALLEL BETWEEN GROWTH OF TELEPHONE SERVICE8

AND DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG

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IT WAS NOT FANCIFUL TO SEE A PARALLEL BETWEEN THE GROWTH IN TELEPHONE SERVICES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG FROM A MODERATELY SUCCESSFUL TRADING CENTRE OF LARGELY REGIONAL SIGNIFICANCE INTO ONE OF THE MAJOR FINANCIAL, BANKING AND INDUSTRIAL CENTRES OF THE WORLD.

THIS WAS SAID TODAY (FRIDAY) BY THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DENYS ROBERTS, AT A CEREMONY MARKING THE INSTALLATION IN HONG KONG OF THE ONE MILLIONTH TELEPHONE EXCHANGE LINE.

SIR DENYS SAID THAT, AS HONG KONG HAD GROWN, SO HAD THE IMPORTANCE TO US OF FIRST CLASS COMMUNICATIONS,

COMMUNICATIONS, BOTH INTERNAL AND INTERNATIONAL.

+AND WE ARE FORTUNATE THAT THIS NEED HAS BEEN FULLY RECOGNISED, AND SUCCESSFULLY MET, BY THE HONG KONG TELEPHONE COMPANY, WHICH HAS DEVELOPED A TELEPHONE SYSTEM OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY, HE SAID.

THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE TELEPHONE COMPANY, SIR DENYS SAID, WERE AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE (OF WHICH HONG KONG HAD MANY) OF THE ADVANTAGES OF ENTRUSTING THE PROVISION OF UTILITY SERVICES TO PRIVATE COMPANIES WHICH INVARIABLY RAN BUSINESS ENTERPRISES WITH MORE SKILL AND EFFICIENCY THAN A BUREAUCRATIC ORGANISATION.

HE ADDED: THE COMPANY HAS ALSO SHOWN, AS ANY PUBLIC UTILITY ENTERPRISE WHICH ENJOYS A MONOPOLY OUGHT TO DO, THAT IT RECOGNISES THAT SOCIAL CONSIDERATIONS SHOULD SOMETIMES BE GIVEN MORE WEIGHT THAN PROFITS. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS OBLIGATION, THE COMPANY HAS IN RECENT YEARS CARRIED THROUGH AN EXTENSIVE PROGRAMME IN THE MORE REMOTE PARTS OF HONG KONG, BRINGING TO MANY ISOLATED VILLAGES THE CONVENIENCE, THE FEELING OF SECURITY AND THE SOCIAL AND BUSINESS CONTACTS WHICH ARE AMONG THE MAJOR BENEFITS OF THE TELEPHONE.+

THE NUMBER OF TELEPHONES HAD DOUBLED IN THE PAST SEVEN YEARS. THIS NUMBER WOULD DOUBLE AGAIN, TO TWO MILLION LINES, IN LESS THAN 15 YEARS, IF HONG KONG CONTÍNUED, AS HE BELIEVED IT WOULD, TO DEVELOP IN THE SAME EXCITING AND REMARKABLE WAY AS

IT HAD IN THE LAST FEW YEARS.

+WHATEVER THE DEMANDS WHICH THE FUTURE MAY MAKE UPON IT, I AM CONFIDENT THAT THE COMPANY WILL MEET THEM WITH THE SAME GOOD SENSE AND SKILL AS HAVE GUIDED ITS FORTUNES IN RECENT YEARS.+

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