XN000022-1982-03-25 — Page 20

THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 1982

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CITING THE ISSUE OF TRAFFIC OFFENCE TICKETS AS AN EXAMPLE, HE SAID THE CONSTABLE ON THE BEAT. THE TRAFFIC POLICEMAN AND THE TRAFFIC WARDEN ARE ALL DOING THE SAME JOB.

HE THOUGHT THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT JOB OF THE POLICE IS CRIME PREVENTION AND DETECTION AND THAT THEY SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOADED WITH THIS AND OTHER SUNDRY JOBS.

+AS WE NOW HAVE A SEPARATE POLICY TRANSPORT BRANCH AND A CORRESPONDING OPERATIONS TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT, PROPOSE THAT ALL OPERATIONAL JOBS INVOLVING LAND TRAFFIC MATTERS AND THE GRADE OF TRAFFIC WARDEN BE TRANSFERRED TO THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT,+ HE SAID.

MR CHAN ALSO COMMENTED ON THE COVERED ELEVATED WALKWAYS WITH ESCALATORS IN THE CENTRAL DISTRICT.

HE NOTED THAT THIS TYPE OF ELEVATED WALKWAY WHICH, PROVIDES AMONG OTHER THINGS, A SMOOTH PEDESTRIAN FLOW, IS VERY POPULAR AMONG THE PUBLIC.

+ I THEREFORE URGE THAT GOVERNMENT SHOULD CONSIDER EXTENDING THE PRESENT NETWORK OF COVERED ELEVATED WALKWAYS SERVICED BY ESCALATORS TO SUITABLY SELECTED AREAS OUTSIDE THE CENTRAL DISTRICT, HE SAID.

RETHINK URGED ON RELIANCE ON LAND SALES REVENUE ****

THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD GIVE SERIOUS CONSIDERATION AS TO THE EXTENT THAT IT IS NOW RELIANT ON LAND SALES TO PAY FOR THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME, THE HON WILLIAM BROWN SAID TODAY.

IN MAKING THIS COMMENT, MR BROWN SAID HE WAS CONSCIOUS OF VIEWS EASILY EXPRESSED BY THE GOVERNMENT WHICH WARNED AGAINST GETTING LOCKED INTO A LEVEL OF EXPENDITURE ON CAPITAL ACCOUNT WHICH WOULD NOT BE SUSTAINABLE AS AND WHEN THE LEVEL OF CAPITAL REVENUE SETTLED DOWN AND THE FINANCING OF CAPITAL EXPENDITURE AGAIN BECAME DEPENDENT ON THE SURPLUS ON RECURRENT ACCOUNT.

HE CITED STATISTICS TO SHOW THAT THE SURPLUS ON RECURRENT ACCOUNT, EXPRESSED AS A PROPORTION OF ACTUAL TOTAL CAPITAL EXPENDITURE, IS PROJECTED TO FALL TO 44 PER CENT IN 1982-83 A SHARP DROP FROM THE ESTIMATED 74 PER CENT IN THE CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR, AND FROM THE AVERAGE OF 100 PER CENT IN THE PREVIOUS DECADE.

+THE 44 PER CENT MUST BE VIEWED AGAINST OUR TRADITIONAL GUIDELINE OF AT LEAST 60 PER CENT, ALTHOUGH IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED TENTATIVELY SINCE LAST YEAR THAT THIS LATTER RATIO COULD PERHAPS BE LOWERED TO AT LEAST 33 PER CENT, HE POINTED OUT.

WHILE HE SHARED THE CONFIDENCE OF THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY IN THE LONG-TERM PROSPECTS OF LOCAL REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS, HE SAID THE STATISTICS HE HAD QUOTED ARE INDICATIVE OF A TREND WHICH SEEMS TO BE ACCELERATING+.

¿THE RATIOS

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