XN000022-1980-10-01 — Page 5

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1930

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HE SAID THE CHANGE ACHIEVED ON THE GROUND UP TO JUNIOR SECONDARY FORM 11, AND IN PLANNED EXPANSION OF SENIOR EDUCATION UP TO THE MID-80'S, WAS SPECTACULAR AND WAS RADICALLY CHANGING THE LEVEL OF EDUCATION IN HONG KONG.

BUT HERE TOO IMMIGRATION HAD CUT IN WITH THE RESULT THAT WE WOULD BE MARGINALLY SHORT OF THE 1981 FORM IV TARGET OF SUBSIDISED PLACES FOR 60 PER CENT OF THE 15-YEAR-OLD AGE GROUP.

ON SOCIAL WELFARE, SIR MURRAY SAID THE GOVERNMENT WAS EXAMINING WHETHER PUBLIC ASSISTANCE ALLOWANCES ADEQUATELY REFLECT CHANGES IN THE STANDARD OF LIVING FOR THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE AND WHETHER THE RENT ALLOWANCE WAS REALISTIC.

GENERALLY, HE WARNED THAT THE ADEQUACY OF THE PROVISION IN DEVELOPING PROGRAMMES COULD LOOK RADICALLY DIFFERENT IF THE NORMAL GROWTH OF OUR POPULATION CONTINUES TO BE SWOLLEN BY IMMIGRATION.

SIR MURRAY ALSO WARNED THAT HONG KONG COULD ABANDON ANY HOPE OF ACHIEVING PLANNED IMPROVEMENTS IN MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEVELOPMENTS IF CURRENT IMMIGRATION LEVELS WERE NOT REDUCED.

ON FUTURE MEDICAL PLANS, HE SAID THAT IN ADDITION TO THE

1 400-BED HOSPITAL UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT SHA TIN, OTHERS OF SIMILAR SIZE WERE PLANNED FOR COMPLETION BEFORE THE END OF THIS DECADE AT TUEN MUN AND EAST KOWLOON.

ON DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, THE GOVERNOR SAID IT WAS HOPED TO PUBLISH THE WHITE PAPER BY THE END OF THE YEAR. APPROPRIATE LEGISLATION MIGHT THEN BE INTRODUCED IN EARLY 1981, PAVING THE WAY FOR ELECTIONS UNDER A NEW SYSTEM BY PROBABLY THE SPRING OF 1982.

A TENTATIVE PROGRAMME, HE SAID, HAD ALREADY BEEN WORKED OUT PROGRESSIVELY TO SET UP DISTRICT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES AND DISTRICT BOARDS (THOUGH UNTIL ELECTIONS ARE HELD THE DISTRICT BOARDS WOULD CONSIST OF APPOINTED MEMBERS ONLY).

SIR MURRAY WOUND UP HIS ADDRESS WITH AN APPRAISAL OF THE CONTINUING FRIENDLY RELATIONS WITH CHINA.

+SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS ARE NOW SETTLED INTO A PATTERN OF FRIENDLY CO-OPERATION, HE SAID, ADDING THAT OUR DEALINGS WITH THE MANY OFFICIALS OF THE CHINESE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC IN HONG KONG CONTINUE TO BE ON A BASIS WHICH IS BOTH POSITIVE AND SATISFACTORY.

HE DISCLOSED THAT GUANGDONG'S DIRECTOR OF TRADE WOULD VISIT HONG KONG LATER THIS MONTH, RETURNING A VISIT TO GUANGDONG LAST MAY BY A HONG KONG MISSION LED BY SIR YUET-KEUNG KAN.

AS FOR HONG KONG'S RELATIONS WITH THE UK, SIR MURRAY SAID THESE HAVE BEEN MARKED BY A DEEPENING UNDERSTANDING ON BOTH SIDES.