XN000022-1988-11-10 — Page 8

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1988

THE RURAL PLANNING WHICH THE GOVERNOR HAD MENTIONED WAS ALSO SIGNIFICANT IN ENSURING THAT RURAL AREAS COULD BE OPENED UP AND AT THE SAME TIME BE PRESERVED.

HE PLEDGED THAT THE TOURIST ASSOCIATION WOULD PLAY A MAJOR

WHICH COULD ROLE IN SUPPORTING THESE LOCAL DEVELOPMENTS,

PROVIDE A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR THE YEARS AHEAD WHEN THE OPENING OF THE NEW AIRPORT WOULD GIVE A FURTHER BOOST TO THE INDUSTRY.

TURNING TO THE LABOUR SHORTAGE, MR BARROW OBSERVED THAT PRACTICALLY EVERY SECTOR OF THE ECONOMY

MANUFACTURING, RETAILING, WAS FACED WITH CONSTRUCTION, HOTELS, UTILITIES AND

CONSTRUCTION THE PROBLEM, WITH THE MOST SEVERELY HIT SECTOR BEING THE INDUSTRY.

WHOLESALING

▬▬

THE LABOUR THE SHORT THE SHARP AND AN

"UNLESS WE TAKE ACTION ΤΟ REDUCE THE SIZE OF

BENEFITTING IN SHORTAGE PROBLEM, THE VERY PEOPLE WHO ARE

FROM TERM WILL BE AMONG THOSE WHO WILL EVENTUALLY SUFFER INCREASE IN INFLATION, LOSS OF INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS, EVENTUAL CONSEQUENTIAL DOWNTURN IN THE ECONOMY, HE SAID.

PRIVATE "NOBODY IN THE

AN

SECTOR IS PROPOSING THE IMPORT OF LABOUR TO SUCH

EXTENT THAT IT WOULD DISCOURAGE PRODUCTIVITY

IMAGE. INCREASES. CERTAINLY HONG KONG MUST NOT RETURN TO A SWEATSHOP

A VALVE WHAT IS NEEDED IS THE OPENING OF

TO RELIEVE SOME OF THE

PRESSURE.

++

DISAPPOINTMENT THAT THE A TO PURSUE

CHANGE OF

MR BARROW SAID THERE WAS WIDESPREAD ADMINISTRATION'S EARLIER CONCLUSION WAS NOT POLICY, PARTICULARLY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY.

HE ALSO SUPPORTED THE PROPOSAL ON THE IMMEDIATE FORMATION OF

GROUP HIGH-LEVEL WORKING

TO EXPAND THE LONG-TERM MACRO-ECONOMIC

SO FAR AS PROJECTIONS FOR THE ECONOMY IN

THEY RELATED TO LABOUR

SUPPLY AND DEMAND.

THE

GROUP WORKING

COULD PRODUCE IDEAS

FOR

IMPROVING THE LABOUR FORCE

PRODUCTIVITY, ASCERTAIN WHETHER OR NOT THE SIZE OF COULD BE INCREASED AND EXAMINE DETAILED PROPOSALS FOR IMPORTED LABOUR.

"THIS GROUP, WHICH MUST INCLUDE PRIVATE SECTOR REPRESENTATIVES,

IN FEBRUARY 1989, SHOULD COMPLETE ITS WORK BY THE CHINESE NEW YEAR HE SAID.

ON THE CHINA DIMENSION, MR WHICH HAD BEEN DEVELOPED BETWEEN HONG SENIOR LEVEL, INCLUDING THE GOVERNOR'S THROUGH THE WORKING LEVEL EXCHANGES.

BARROW WELCOMED THE WIDER LINKS KONG AND CHINA BOTH AT THE

REGULAR

AS VISITS,

WELL AS

LAW. HE

DEEMED IT BY

IMPORTANT LEGCO AS

WITH REGARD TO THE DRAFT BASIC THAT THERE SHOULD BE SUSTAINED INTEREST IN THE DOCUMENT WELL AS BY THE ADMINISTRATION AND THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.

/SHARING THE