XN000022-1980-10-22 — Page 11

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1980

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BUT HE EXPECTED THE GOVERNMENT WOULD AGAIN ARGUE THAT THERE WAS NO CASE FOR SUBSIDISING INDUSTRIES.

+ I WILL AGREE WITH THE ARGUMENT IF THE SUBSIDY IS APPLIED GENERALLY.

+THE ARGUMENT IS NO LONGER COGENT IF THE PROPOSAL IS FOR ASSISTING INDUSTRIES WHICH WOULD BENEFIT THE ECONOMY OF HONG KONG, THAT IS THOSE INDUSTRIES WHICH WOULD ASSIST IN RAISING THE LEVEL OF TECHNOLOGY, UPGRADING HONG KONG'S PRODUCT AND ENHANCING HONG KONG'S IMAGE AS A MANUFACTURING BASE, HE SAID.

HE CITED THE HONG KONG INDUSTRIAL ESTATES CORPORATION AS A CASE IN POINT WHERE LOW COST INDUSTRIAL LAND WAS MADE AVAILABLE TO ASSIST SUCH DESERVING INDUSTRIES.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INDUSTRIAL FINANCE CORPORATION IS ONLY A LOGICAL PARALLEL, HE SAID.

ON THE SUBJECT OF MANPOWER RESOURCES, MR CHEN WELCOMED THE GOVERNMENT'S DECISION TO PROCEED WITH THE INDUSTRIAL TRAINING SCHEMES AND LOOKED FORWARD TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INDUSTRIAL TRAINING MACHINERY.

ALTHOUGH HE WAS NOT ENTIRELY HAPPY WITH THE PRINCIPLE THAT SUCH TRAINING SCHEMES SHOULD BE FINANCED FROM GENERAL REVENUE, HE SAID NEVERTHELESS THAT IT WAS CERTAINLY A BIG STEP FORWARD IN PRODUCING MORE TRAINED MANPOWER +WHICH WE CANNOT DO WITHOUT IF WE WERE TO SUSTAIN THE TECHNOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF OUR ECONOMY+.

HE ALSO LINKED THE NEED FOR INDUSTRIAL TRAINING TO THE PROVISION OF TERTIARY EDUCATION, PARTICULARLY TECHNICAL EDUCATION:

+1 NOTE THAT THE THREE PER CENT GROWTH RATE FOR TECHNICAL EDUCATION AT THE TERTIARY LEVEL SET BY THE WHITE PAPER ON SENIOR SECONDARY AND TERTIARY EDUCATION IS NOW SUBJECT TO REVIEW AND THAT THERE IS A LIKELIHOOD THAT IT MAY BE INCREASED AS AN INTER IM MEASURE TO FOUR PER CENT.+

HE HOPED THAT IN THE OFFICIAL REVIEW, A SUITABLE BALANCE WOULD BE MAINTAINED BETWEEN THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEMANDS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION.

+AND IT MUST ALSO ENSURE THAT THE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG'S ECONOMY IN THE 1980'S WILL NOT BE INHIBITED BY A SHORTAGE OF HIGH LEVEL TECHNOLOGICAL MANPOWER.+

IN THIS RESPECT, MR CHEN ASKED THAT OPPORTUNITIES BE CREATED FOR THE LARGE NUMBER OF HIGHLY MOTIVATED PEOPLE IN BOTH COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY TO MEET THE INCREASING DEMAND MADE UPON THEM BY ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY.

THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO, BECAUSE OF UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCES, WERE UNABLE TO COMPLETE A FULL COURSE OF FORMAL EDUCATION,

AFE THOUGHT