4
Thursday, October 1, 1970
Hong Kong had first to become sufficiently productive and prosperous
to be able to meet this challenge without damage to its economy or unduly
holding back its growth.
But the challenge was met, and now the Colony was approaching a
situation in which medical services were genuinely and totally free for
those who could not afford the small charges set, housing at low rents was
increasing, and plenty of work was available, at real wages, for those willing
and equipped for it.
The Governor said there remained the need to help families unable
to hold their own in this new environment.
Free primary education would remove the bar to attendance at school
for the children of the neediost families, and the revised public assistanco
scheme, now getting under way, should help reduce the need for them to make
their children earn rather than go to school.
Problem of Irresponsible Parents
An agreed programme for increasing the number of subsidised nursery
places, and public assistance, should remove some of the temptation to keep
alder children at home to look after younger ones - but the Government's
large commitment to education proper did not permit it as yet to aid day
nurseries generally to any great extent.
On the problem of irresponsible and wilful parents, the Governor said
there was no difficulty in introducing compulsory primary education, but such
a law could not be effectively enforced and would be "unpleasantly close"
to window-dressing something Hong Kong had always sought to avoid.
Instead, subject to further study, the Government intended to suggest
where cases came to notice of parents who appeared to be unnecessarily
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