XN000022-1981-10-07 — Page 19

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1981

A FURTHE 1 670 BEDS FOR THE MENTALLY ILL ARE PLANNED FOR THE PERIOD TO 1990, TOGETHER WITH A FURTHER 500 BEDS FOR THE SEVERELY MENTALLY HANDICAPPED, WHEN THE ESTIMATE SHORTFALLS SHOULD BE LARGELY, THOUGH NOT WHOLLY, ELIMINATED.

SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED IN MEDICAL REHABILITATION SERVICES WHEN THE NEW CENTRE OF THE HONG KONG SOCIETY FOR REHABILITATION AT SANDY BAY IS COMPLETED IN 1983, SIR MURRAY SAID.

NEED FOR MUTUAL RESPECT AND RESTRAINT EMPHASISED

THE GOVERNOR

****

SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, TODAY SOUNDED A NOTE OF WARNING AGAINST THE UGLY FACE OF CAPITALISM+ AND STRESSED THE NEED FOR MUTUAL RESPECT AND RESTRAINT.

SUMMING UP HIS WIDE RANGING ADDRESS TO THE OPENING OF THE NEW LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SESSION, SIR MURRAY NOTED THAT THERE HAD BEEN EXCESSIVE SPECULATION IN REAL ESTATE AND SOME SOCIALLY DISRUPTIVE TRANSACTIONS.

+ IT IS ALL VERY WELL TO SAY THAT IN A FREE ECONOMY ONE MUST TAKE THE ROUGH WITH THE SMOOTH BUT THOSE WHO TAKE THE ROUGH ARE SO SELDOM THOSE WHO ENJOYED THE SMOOTH, HE SAID, ADDING THAT THIS REFERRED ONLY TO A VERY FEW.

HE POINTED OUT THAT WHAT IS CALLED THE UGLY FACE OF CAPITALISM+ WAS NOTABLY ABSENT IN THE RECESSION OF 1974/75 AND THE SUBSEQUENT RECOVERY, AND THIS WAS ONE OF THE REASONS HONG KONG CAME THROUGH

IT SO WELL.

+NOW WHEN THE ECONOMY AS A WHOLE IS DOING COMPARATIVELY WELL, AND LOOKS LIKE CONTINUING TO DO SO, THERE ARE SIGNS OF THIS LESSON BEING FORGOTTEN BY SOME, SIR MURRAY SAID.

GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY, HE SAID, SHOULD PROVIDE THE FRAMEWORK FOR AN ECONOMIC SOCIETY WHICH SHOULD BE AS FREE AS POSSIBLE. BUT THIS, HE STRESSED, ASSUMED THAT THE USE OF THIS FREEDOM DOES NOT RUN COUNTER TO THE CONDITIONS OF OUR SURVIVAL, NAMELY THAT AS A SOCIETY WE REMAIN COHESIVE AND RESPECTED,

+OUR ECONOMY DEPENDS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOUND INDUSTRY SOUND COMMUNICATIONS, AND SOUND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, BASED ON A DECENTLY HOUSED SOCI Y WHOSE ELEMENTS OBSERVE MUTUAL RESPECT AND RESTRAINT.

+SO LONG AS THE INGENIOUS AND ADMIRABLY INTENSE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY OF HONG KONG CONCENTRATES ON THESE PRODUCTIVE OBJECTIVES, I AM CONVINCED THAT OTHER MEDIUM AND LONG TERM FACTORS ARE VERY GREATLY IN OUR FAVOUR,+ THE GOVERNOR SAID.

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