XN000022-1988-11-01 — Page 4

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1988

3

IN

CENTRAL/WAN

EXPO,

IT

WOULD

MEAN

CHAI

A

OR WEST KOWLOON

IN DELAY

TACKLING

"IF THE RECLAMATIONS

WERE TO BE USED FOR AN THE GROWING CONGESTION PROBLEM.

ADDED

THAT

THE

THE SPOKESMAN PRE-FEASIBILITY STUDY HAD ESTIMATED THAT

FOR

THE EXPO

CONSULTANTS

ABOUT 50',000 PEOPLE WOULD

ENTER AND 20,000 WOULD LEAVE THE EXPO SITE IN THE EVENING PEAK HOUR.

THE AGGRAVATE

TRAFFIC CONGESTION "THIS WILL UNDOUBTEDLY

IN THE URBAN PROBLEM AND PUT A HEAVY STRAIN ON THE TRANSPORT SYSTEM AREA, HE SAID.

**

REITERATED THAT VISITORS AT ON VISITS FROM

THE

THE

TURNING TO FINANCIAL VIABILITY, THE SPOKESMAN

OVERSEAS IN WITH NO ADDITIONAL CAPACITY TO BRING AIRPORT, THE SUCCESS OF EXPO WOULD RELY HEAVILY LOCAL POPULATION AS WELL AS VISITORS FROM CHINA.

COST OF ENTRY OF $80 PUT FORWARD BY FIGURES ATTENDANCE

PER

THE

"THIS, TOGETHER WITH AN AVERAGE PERSON, CASTS DOUBT ON THE CONSULTANTS, " THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

THAN ESTIMATED, "IF ATTENDANCE WERE TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER

FINANCIAL DEBT POSSIBLY THE SAR GOVERNMENT COULD BE BURDENED WITH A RUNNING INTO BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN ITS FIRST YEAR OF OPERATION."

ON THE ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF HOLDING AN EXPO, THE POINTED OUT THAT THE ADDITIONAL CAPITAL OUTLAYS

PROJECT WERE DIFFICULT TO QUANTIFY OF THE UNDOUBTEDLY EXCEED THE $2 BILLION QUOTED SCHEME.

SPOKESMAN REQUIRED IN SUPPORT PRECISELY, BUT WOULD

OF BY THE PROPONENTS

THE

"THE COST OF THE EXHIBITS THEMSELVES INCLUDING THE FITTING

HE SAID. OF THE PAVILION WOULD AMOUNT TO A FURTHER $1 BILLION,"

OUT

THAT "AND ASSUMING

INVESTORS WOULD PRIVATE WHICH WOULD FACE LOW OCCUPANCY RATES ONCE EXPO WAS OVER,

ADDITIONAL OF THE COSTS, EXCLUDING LAND COSTS, REQUIRED COULD BE ABOUT $2.75 BILLION.

"IN ADDITION, THERE WOULD PROVIDING THE EXTRA INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WOULD EXPO, FOR EXAMPLE, THE NEED TO HANDLE THE LARGE CROWDS GOING TO FROM THE SITE."

SAID

то SITE

BE DELAY ITS

THE

SITE, THE SPOKESMAN A REQUIRE

GIVEN OR TO BR, OTHERWISE

AS FOR LAND COSTS OF THE EXPO EFFECT OF HOLDING AN EXPO WOULD BE TO FORMED EARLIER THAN IT WOULD AVAILABILITY FOR ITS INTENDED LONG-TERM USE.

5,500

FINANCE

THE BUILDING HOTEL ROOMS

HOTELS

BE THE

COST SUBSTANTIAL BE NEEDED SOLELY

OF FOR

AND

"IN BOTH CASES, AN EXPO WOULD IMPOSE COSTS ON

THE

COMMUNITY,"

HE SAID.

/GIVEN THE