XN000022-1983-03-24 — Page 20

THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 1983

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AS AN EXAMPLE, HE POINTED OUT THAT THE RATE OF INFLATION FOR 1982 IN HONG KONG WAS 10.6 PER CENT WHILE THAT IN THE UNITED STATES WAS 3.9 PER CENT.

+POLICIES MUST BE FORMED AND VIGOROUSLY PURSUED TO CLAMP DOWN ON INFLATION, HE URGED.

MR LEE OBSERVED THAT THERE HAD BEEN LITTLE IMPROVEMENT IN INFLATION FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.

THIS WAS BECAUSE HONG KONG COULD NOT CONTROL IMPORTED INFLATION ON THE ONE HAND, WHILE IT WAS ON THE OTHER HAND, FACING REGULAR INCREASES IN CHARGES FOR PUBLIC UTILITIES, TRANSPORTATION AND MANY OTHER ESSENTIAL ASPECTS OF LIFE, HE NOTED.

+NEEDLESS TO SAY, IF THIS TREND CONTINUES, THE COST-PUSH EFFECT WILL WEAKEN OUR ABILITY TO COMPETE AS WE WILL PRICE OURSELVES OUT OF THE MARKET.

+ REALISE THAT THE TRANSITION TO A NON-INFLATIONARY ENVIRONMENT IS DIFFICULT BUT LET ME STRESS AGAIN THAT OUR GOVERNMENT MUST TAKE THE LEAD IN ALL FRONTS, HE ADDED,

MR LEE ALSO CALLED FOR POSITIVE STEPS TO PRESERVE AND TO INCREASE HONG KONG'S COMPETITIVENESS IN WORLD MARKETS.

IN HIS VIEW THE GOVERNMENT COULD DO MUCH MORE, AS ALMOST EVERY GOVERNMENT WAS DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE, TO SUPPORT INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT.

CITING THE AREA OF TECHNOLOGY, HE FOUND HONG KONG FALLING BEHIND ITS COMPETITORS BY A WIDE MARGIN.

BUT HE

HE SAID HE REALISED THAT THE HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE WAS CONDUCTING A RESEARCH PROJECT ON TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER. STRESSED IT WAS A QUESTION OF TIMING,

MR LEE SUGGESTED THAT STEPS SHOULD ALSO BE TAKEN SWIFTLY TO INTRODUCE COMPUTER COURSES IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

CONCEDING THAT SUCH COURSES HAD BEEN INTRODUCED INTO 30 SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN HONG KONG SINCE LAST YEAR, HE SAID IT HAD TAKEN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT ONLY ONE YEAR TO INTRODUCE COMPUTER COURSES INTO ALL SECONDARY SCHOOLS,

+AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THE UNITED KINGDOM NOW HAS PLANS TO INTRODUCE THESE COURSES INTO PRIMARY SCHOOLS.

+OUR EXPERIMENTAL STAGE OF INTRODUCING COMPUTER COURSES IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IS FAR BEHIND THE NEED WHICH WE WILL EXPERIENCE IN THE FUTURE OF THE REQUIREMENT OF KNOWLEDGEABLE COMPUTER OPERATORS.

+ I URGE THE GOVERNMENT TO TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THIS POLICY, MR LEE SAID.

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