XN000022-1994-01-28 — Page 6

FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 1994

GOVERNOR SPEAKS TO REPORTERS AFTER VISITING SOUTHERN DISTRICT

*

GOVERNOR: GOOD AFTERNOON.

THAT

I'VE ENJOYED THE SECOND OFFICIAL VISIT I'VE PAID TO SOUTHERN DISTRICT. THESE VISITS ARE ENORMOUSLY USEFUL FOR US IN GOVERNMENT TO FIND OUT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ABOUT THE PROBLEMS ON THE GROUND, THE GRASSROOTS. THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE, I SPENT SOME TIMES WITH FAMILIES WHO ARE LIVING ON BOATS IN ABERDEEN. AS A RESULT OF THAT VISIT, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THEM TO BE REHOUSED. SIXTY TWO OF THE SIXTY FIVE FAMILIES LIVING ON THOSE BOATS ARE BEING REHOUSED IN THIS FINANCIAL YEAR. I WAS INTERESTED TODAY TO SEE THE SQUATTER AREA AND THE EFFORTS THAT ARE BEING MADE TO REHOUSE PEOPLE IN THOSE SQUATTER AREAS. THAT'S OBVIOUSLY A PRIORITY FOR THE DISTRICT. ANOTHER PRIORITY IS DEALING WITH OUR TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT PROBLEMS. I THINK THERE ARE TWO PARTICULAR ISSUES WHICH ARE OF CONCERN TO PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN DISTRICT. THE FIRST IS THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT ROADS IN THE DISTRICT SEEM TO BE BEING DUG UP FOR THIS SORT OF PURPOSE VERY OFTEN BECAUSE OF WORK BY THE PUBLIC UTILITIES. WE ARE LOOKING IN GOVERNMENT WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN DEAL WITH THEIR PROBLEMS WHICH ARE RATHER CURIOUSLY CALLED "ROAD OPENING" IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE AS MANY SELF-INDUCED TRAFFIC JAMS. ANOTHER REASON, OF COURSE, FOR THE TRAFFIC PROBLEMS IN SOUTHERN DISTRICT IS THE BUILD-UP OF TRAFFIC AT THE NORTH END OF ABERDEEN TUNNEL BECAUSE OF THE JAM AROUND THE HARBOUR CROSSING. OF COURSE, THAT WILL BE RELIEVED WHEN THE WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING IS COMPLETED AND OPENED. IN THE MEANTIME, ARE TRYING TO TAKE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT MEASURES, FOR EXAMPLE, THE OF LIGHTS TO ALLEVIATE PROBLEMS AT THE NORTHERN END OF THE TUNNEL. KNOW THAT CAUSES PEOPLE WHO ARE TRAVELLING FROM SOUTHERN DISTRICT INTO CENTRAL EVERYDAY A LOT OF AGGRAVATIONS. SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT PEOPLE RAISED WITH ME TODAY AND I'LL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO MY THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH AND SUBSEQUENT VISITS.

WE

USE I

QUESTION: MR PATTEN, IS THE GOVERNMENT GOING TO INJECT MORE FUND INTO THE NEW AIRPORT PROJECT IN ITS LATEST PROPOSAL, FINANCIAL PROPOSAL, TO THE CHINESE SIDE AND HOW GOOD WILL THAT BE?

GOVERNOR : I AM GLAD THAT YOU'VE STARTED FROM A POSITIVE POINT. WE'VE MADE THREE DIFFERENT SETS OF PROPOSALS ON AIRPORT FINANCING AT VARIOUS TIMES OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. UNFORTUNATELY, THE CHINESE SIDE HAS NEVER FOUND IT POSSIBLE TO RESPOND POSITIVELY, SO, WE'VE HAD TO GET ON BUILDING THE AIRPORT OURSELVES WHICH WE'VE BEEN DOING AS RAPIDLY AND COST-EFFECTIVELY AS POSSIBLE WITH ABOUT $45 BILLION WORTH OF THE PROJECTS NOW LET AND WITH THE WORK GOING AHEAD AHEAD OF TIME AND WITHIN COST RATHER LOWER IN COST IN MANY CASES. WE'VE BEEN CALLING FOR SOME TIMES FOR ANOTHER MEETING OF THE AIRPORT COMMITTEE. YOU KNOW AND I KNOW THAT THERE IS NO POINT IN POINT-SCORING PARTICULARLY WHEN THE POINTS ARE VERY BAD ONES. WHAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WANT ISN'T POINT-SCORING BUT AIRPORT BUILDING WHICH IS WHAT WE ARE UP TO. so, WE WANT A MEETING OF THE AIRPORT COMMITTEE AND AT THAT MEETING, WE WILL BE PUTTING FORWARD NEW PROPOSALS. WE WILL BE DISCUSSING THEM IN THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL NEXT WEEK. WE WILL PUT FORWARD NEW PROPOSALS AND IT WILL BE THEN VERY INTERESTING TO SEE HOW POSITIVE CHINESE OFFICIALS ARE ABOUT SAFEGUARDING THE LIVELIHOOD OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. IT WON'T BE THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATION WHICH SUFFERS IF WE DON'T GET AIRPORT BUILT AT THE SORT OF TIME WE'D LIKE. I'LL TELL YOU WHO SUFFER. IT WILL BE THE FUTURE SAR GOVERNMENT AND FUTURE HONG TAXPAYERS. SO, THE MORE RAPIDLY WE CAN GET ON WITH THESE MATTERS BETTER AND I THINK THAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG ARE PRETTY FED UP CRITICISMS SHOUTED ACROSS THE TELEVISION WAVES RATHER THAN DOING WHAT THEY SHOULD BE DOING WHICH IS SERVING THE PUBLIC.

THE

WILL

KONG

THE

WITH OFFICIALS

/QUESTION