TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1988
INDUSTRY,
"GIVEN THE CAPACITY OF THE BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION BRINGING FORWARD PROJECTS OR INTRODUCING NEW PROJECTS CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED BY DELAYING OTHER PUBLIC PROJECTS OR BY CROWDING OUT, THROUGH INCREASED TENDER PRICES, PRIVATE SECTOR PROJECTS.
"IN ADDITION, ANY DELAYS TO MAKING SITES AVAILABLE AND ANY ADDITIONAL COMPETITION FOR SITES RESULTING FROM THE NEED TO BUILD, FOR EXAMPLE, AN ADDITIONAL EIGHT HOTELS WILL TEND TO DRIVE UP LAND PRICES AND CAUSE SOME PROJECTS TO BE CANCELLED OR DELAYED.
"THE EFFECT ON THE PRICES OF PRIME COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL WOULD BE PARTICULARLY MARKED IF THE EXPO SITE WERE IN CENTRAL/WAN CHAI.
SITES
TH
ON WIDER ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID IT WAS NOT CLEAR WHAT LONG-TERM BENEFITS AN EXPO MIGHT BRING TO AN ECONOMY SUCH AS HONG KONG'S WHICH WAS ALREADY WELL-DEVELOPED.
H
THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF HOLDING EXPOS IN OTHER PLACES, SUCH AS VANCOUVER AND BRISBANE, WAS TO STIMULATE THEIR ECONOMIES PRIMARILY THROUGH A GROWTH IN TOURISM, HE SAID.
"IN OUR CASE TOURISM IS GROWING NATURALLY AT A RATE WHICH IS ALREADY STRAINING RESOURCES, AND FURTHER UNRESTRAINED DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOURIST MARKET IS NOT REQUIRED OR DESIRABLE UNTIL THE NEW AIRPORT IS IN OPERATION,"
AS FOR BENEFITS TO TRADE, THE SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT EXPOS DID NOT PROVIDE THE SAME SORT OF FORUM FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADING CONTACT AS DEDICATED TRADE FAIRS.
SAID.
"EXPOS ARE NOT DESIGNED AS A MEANS OF STIMULATING TRADE," HE
"HONG KONG'S NETWORK FOR DEVELOPING TRADING BUSINESS LINKS WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD IS IN ANY EVENT ALREADY WELL-ESTABLISHED.
"THE BENEFITS OF SHORT-TERM EVENTS SUCH A9 AN EXPO TO THE GRADUAL PROCESS OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ARE GENERALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT.
THE SPOKESMAN ADDED THAT A SIX-MONTH-LONG EXPO, DESIGNED ΤΟ ATTRACT MORE THAN THREE MILLION ADDITIONAL VISITORS ΤΟ HONG KONG, WOULD ALSO PLACE SEVERE STRAINS ON THE MANPOWER RESOURCES OF THE POLICE, IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS AND EXCISE SERVICES.
"THE POLICE WOULD HAVE то BE DEPLOYED FOR CONTINUOUS, LARGE-SCALE CROWD CONTROL AND CRIME PREVENTION DUTIES AT THE EXPO SITE, MAJOR TRANSPORT MODES FEEDING THE SITE AS WELL AS MAIN HOTEL AND ENTERTAINMENT AREAS, AND BORDER CROSSING POINTS, HE SAID.
"IN ADDITION, THERE WOULD BE A MAJOR PROTECTION DUTIES.
11
COMMITMENT ΤΟ VIP
"THESE TASKS COULD ONLY BE DONE
AT
THE EXPENSE OF SERVICES
ELSEWHERE.
"MORE IMMIGRATION
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