XN000022-1984-08-08 — Page 7

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 1984

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+THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE WILL BE MANNED BY EXPERIENCED CIVIL SERVANTS. ITS HEAD WILL REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE GOVERNOR. GIVEN THE TIME CONSTRAINTS UNDER WHICH IT WILL BE OPERATING, AND THE NOVELTY AND COMPLEXITY OF ITS TASK, IT IS OBVIOUSLY PREFERABLE THAT IT SHOULD NOT BE REQUIRED TO HEAR VIEWS ORALLY FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC OR FROM GROUPS OF PEOPLE WHO MIGHT WISH TO ATTEND AT THE OFFICE. COMMUNICATIONS IN WRITING WILL BE FAR EASIER TO ASSIMILATE. IF MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WISH TO EXPRESS THE IR VIENS ORALLY, THEN THERE ARE OTHERS IN GOVERNMENT SUCH AS DISTRICT OFFICERS WHO CAN BE RELIED UPON TO TAKE NOTE OF THE IR VIEWS AND TO PASS THEM ON TO THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE. SIR, WITH YOUR CONSENT I PROPOSE THAT THE TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE, WHICH HAVE NOW BEEN DECIDED, BE INCLUDED IN THE RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THIS COUNCIL.

+MISS DUNN AND MR CHAN YING LUN HOPE THAT EVEN AFTER PUBLICATION OF THE INITIALLED AGREEMENT THERE WILL BE SCOPE FOR FURTHER AMENDMENT IN DETAIL. I AM AFRAID I CANNOT HOLD OUT ANY HOPE OF THIS. AS THE SECRETARY OF STATE SAID ONLY A WEEK AGO IN THIS CHAMBER IN ANY INTERNATIONAL NEGOTIATIONS OF THIS KIND BOTH SIDES NEGOTIATE TO REACH AN AGREEMENT WHICH HAS TO BE CONSIDERED AS A WHOLE. IF EITHER SIDE WERE TO SEEK TO RESERVE THE RIGHT, HAVING REACHED THE CONCLUSION OF THE NEGOTIATIONS, AS IT WERE TO START AGAIN, THEN THE OTHER SIDE

THE WOULD, UNDERSTANDABLY, SEEK TO OBTAIN THE SAME RIGHT. AGREEMENT WOULD NOT BE EVEN AN AGREEMENT THAT COULD BE INITIALLED. SO BOTH SIDES ARE WORKING TOWARDS THE CONCLUSION OF AN AGREEMENT AS A WHOLE AND IT THEN HAS TO BE CONSIDERED AS A WHOLE.

+MR YEUNG PO KWAN HAS SPOTTED THE DIFFICULTIES WE HAVE HAD WITH THE CHINESE NAME FOR THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE. MY ADVISERS HAVE EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM TO ME AND I SHALL TRY TO RETAIL THE IR WISDOM. THE FIRST SUGGESTION AS MR YEUNG SAYS WAS (MAN JI PING GU TSY). (MAN JI) IS A PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE PHASE FOR PEOPLE'S WISHES, PEOPLE'S VIEWS. THIS IS WHAT WE ARE AFTER. (PING GU) IS ALSO A PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE CHINESE WORD WITH NO REALLY UNDESIRABLE OVERTONES. IT IS USED FOR ASSESSING RATEABLE VALUES OR INCOME, FOR GIVING OF AN OPINION OR FOR JUDGING A BEAUTY CONTEST. BUT WE ARE A CANTONESE CITY AND CANTONESE USAGE CAN TURN THE MOST SOLEMN PHRASES INTO RIBALDRY. THE WORD (GU) CAN INVOLVE THE CONNOTATION OF GUESS WORK AND SPECULATION. WE CERTAINLY WOULD NOT WISH THE REPORT OF THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE TO BE DESCRIBED AS A (KAU GU) OR WILD GUESS. SO THE PREFERABLE WORD (SAM HAT) HAS BEEN DECIDED ON - (SAM) BEING THE WORD USED FOR JUDGEMENT EXERCISED IN COURTS AND (HAT) IMPLYING A CAREFUL

ALAS SCRUTINY OF DATA AS IN AUDITING OR TAKING AN INVENTORY. NOTHING IS PERFECT AND EVEN THIS DIGNIFIED PHRASE IMPLYING THE EXERCISE OF JUDGEMENT AFTER A METICULOUS EXAMINATION OF DATA COULD BE DESCRIBED AS BEING SLIGHTLY AUTHORITARIAN - AS IF THE OFFICE WAS JUDGING WHAT OPINION SHOULD BE RATHER THAN GIVING A BALANCED ACCOUNT OF THE REPRESENTATIONS ACTUALLY RECEIVED - THE POINT MADE BY MISS DUNN AND MR YEUNG. I AM ADVISED BY THE BEST AUTHORITIES THAT WHILE THERE MIGHT BE A MINUTE AMOUNT OF FORCE IN SUCH AN OBJECTION IT SHOULD NOT CUTWEIGH THE NEED TO AVOID OUR CANTONESE WAGS FROM MOCK ING THE WORK OF THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE AS A GUESSING GAME. SO (MAN JI SAM HAT DZYN JYN BAN SI TSY) IT IS.

/+WHEN THE