XN000022-1982-10-27 — Page 19

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1982

AND HE THOUGHT THAT IF WE PURSUED IN THIS DIRECTION, +WE WOULD NOT BE ABANDON ING OUR POLICY OF FREE ECONOMY AND NON- INTERVENTIONISM+.

+WE WOULD SIMPLY BE REACTING TO THE URGENT NEEDS OF OUR INDUSTRIES LIKE A RESPONSIBLE AND RESPECTABLE GOVERNMENT WOULD. FOLLOWING THE WISE EXAMPLES OF OTHERS, SO MANY OF WHICH HAD BEEN PROPOSED INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THIS COUNCIL BEFORE, AND FOR WHICH REASON SHALL NOT REPEAT THEM HERE, HE SAID.

TURNING TO THE PUBLIC FINANCES, MR WONG URGED THE GOVERNMENT NOT TO ADOPT A PIECE-MEAL APPROACH ÎN HIGHWAY DEVELOPMENT IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.

HE WAS REFERRING PARTICULARLY TO RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN RESPECT OF THE NEW TERRITORIES CIRCULAR ROAD.

+AN EFFICIENT ROAD NETWORK IS ESSENTIAL TO THE SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT OF OUR NEW TOWNS IN THE AREA.

+TO REDUCE THE SCALE OF DEVELOPMENT OR TO DELAY OUR PROGRAMME OF ROAD WORKS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES WILL AFFECT THE LIVELIHOOD OF NEARLY ONE MILLION PEOPLE.

+THE SHEER NUMBER OF PEOPLE INVOLVED WOULD JUSTIFY THESE PROGRAMMES TO BE AWARDED HIGH PRIORITY, HE SAID.

AS REGARDS THE PUBLIC SERVICE, MR WONG SAID HE WAS NOT CONVINCED THAT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE TRUE COST OF SERVICES BY A COMPUTER-BASED FINANCIAL INFORMATION SYSTEM TO ASSIST MANAGEMENT DECISION IS THE ANSWER TO ASSESS WHETHER PUBLIC FUNDS HAVE BEEN SPENT IN THE MOST EFFICIENT MANNER.

NOR DID HE BELIEVE THAT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE TRUE COST COULD BE A VALID MEASURING INSTRUMENT OF THE EFFICIENCY, PRODUCTIVITY AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE.

HE WAS THEREFORE GLAD TO LEARN THAT FURTHER EFFORTS WOULD BE MADE TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF PERFORMANCE BY IMPROVED STAFF MANAGEMENT.

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