XN000022-1988-04-19 — Page 17

TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 1988

GOVERNOR GIVES PRESS CONFERENCE

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FOLLOWING IS A FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE GIVEN BY THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, TODAY (TUESDAY):

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SINCE I'VE

H.E.: GOOD AFTERNOON. THIS IS THE THIRD OCCASION BEEN IN HONG KONG FOR JUST OVER A YEAR WHEN I HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO MEET PUBLICLY WITH YOU ALL. I'VE MET MANY OF YOU IN BETWEEN TIMES EITHER INDIVIDUALLY OR COLLECTIVELY. A GOOD DEAL HAS BEEN HAPPENING AND I WELCOME THE SINCE WE LAST HAD A PUBLIC SESSION OF THIS SORT

YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO MEET YOU ALL AGAIN AND I WILL ENDEAVOUR TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AS BEST I CAN.

BLYTH, SALLY

FROM RADIO TELEVISION HONG KONG: THE FIRST HOW MUCH DO QUESTION I THINK I WILL MAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE GENERAL.

YEAR YOU THINK YOU HAVE ACHIEVED DURING YOUR FIRST

AS GOVERNOR AND

YOU SET HAVE YOU MET THE OBJECTIVES WHICH

YOURSELF?

IN AND,

YOUR VIEW, HAVE YOU SUCCEEDED IN PROJECTING A POSITIVE IMAGE OF YOURSELF THE PUBLIC?

ΤΟ

THAT

THAT

MUCH

THAT

YEAR

H.E.: IT SOUNDS LIKE ONE OF THOSE SELF-ASSESSMENT FORMS PEOPLE MAKE YOU FILL IN! THE FIRST THING I'D LIKE TO SAY IS THE YEAR SEEMS TO HAVE GONE VERY QUICKLY INDEED. THERE IS SO GOING ON IN HONG KONG THE WHOLE TIME AND THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO

BEEN TIME PASSES VERY RAPIDLY BUT FOR ME IT HAS

A FASCINATING DOING A JOB WHICH IS FOR ME THE MOST IMPORTANT AND THE SIGNIFICANT I COULD POSSIBLY, BE DOING. I DON'T DO A SELF-ASSESSMENT FORM.

IS 1 SEE THINGS MUCH MORE IN TERMS OF WHAT

HAPPENING COMMUNITY OF HONG KONG, SO LET ME TRY TO ANSWER YOUR LOOKING AT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENING IN HONG KONG.

MOST

TO QUESTION

THE

BY

BASIS

OF

DO.

TAKE POR EXAMPLE THE ECONOMY WHICH IS THE

13 THE LAST YEAR HAS SEEN REAL GROWTH OF OVER

PER EVERYTHING WE DO.

DIGIT CENT, AFTER A PREVIOUS YEAR OF DOUBLE

GROWTH. IT'S SEEN OUR EXPORTS WENT EXPORTS GOING UP; THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF THIS YEAR OUR UP BY 25 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS, RE-EXPORTS BY MORE THAN 50 PER CENT. THAT THEN GIVES US A BASE FOR DOING ANYTHING ELSE THAT WE WANT TO

NEXT THING SO TAKE THE

WHICH

WE'VE IS INFRASTRUCTURE.

SEEN CONTINUATION OF THE SECOND HARBOUR CROSSING. WE'VE SEEN THE START WORK ON TATE'S CAIRN TUNNEL, A MASSIVE PROJECT. WE'VE SEEN THE DECISIONS TAKEN ON THE CONTAINER TERMINAL, ANOTHER ENORMOUS PROJECT'. SO ALL THOSE THINGS ARE GOING ON WELL.

THE

OF

THEN TAKE SOCIAL WELFARE, THINGS THAT MATTER TO THE INDIVIDUAL.

ALLOWANCE INCREASED FROM THE WE'VE SEEN THE OLD AGE

BEGINNING OF FROM THE BEGINNING APRIL THIS YEAR, PUBLIC ASSISTANCE INCREASED

OF

CARE WE HAVE THE THIS YEAR. IN HOSPITALS AND HEALTH

NEW HOSPITAL BEING AUTHORITY, THE PROVISIONAL HOSPITALS AUTHORITY,

SET UP LATER THIS YEAR. WE HAVE A VERY LARGE BUILDING PROGRAMME FOR HOSPITALS, THAT INCLUDES ONE AT TUEN MUN FOR INSTANCE WHICH HAS GOT SO THAT IS GOING ALONG WELL.

1,600

BEDS.

/EDUCATION, OPEN