HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
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· 2nd October 1969.
49
encouraged to take greater interest in Hong Kong's problems and the progress being made in solving them.
I know that some of the plans are mentioned in annual Depart- mental reports: but how many of these reports are sold to the public? Very few I fancy-because some of them tend to be full of rather dreary statistics. I realize they are needed for record purposes, but most of them could, I feel, be reduced in length. A good Public Relation man using a few pages of coloured diagrams could I feel do much to get Government's plans across to the public in an interesting and easily understood way.
I have been looking at the population projections and thinking about the shape of our society in the late '70s. It will be younger, better educated, and certainly more demanding and with higher expecta- tions than in the last twenty years. I am glad Government are going to look at the possibility of increasing the number of secondary school places, and also that opportunities for technical education are to be increased. The latter is particularly important as our industries become more complex, and I hope the new Polytechnic will get under way without delay.
But perhaps the most complex thing we are going to have to handle it seems to me is the increased leisure that people will have. The Urban Council over the last five or six years have done a great job with new parks and playgrounds in the urban areas, but we certainly need to develop more parks in the New Territories where young people can picnic and camp. And we hear a great deal these days about youth, but as Mr Wilfred WONG had said let's not forget about the old people*. People will live longer and while playgrounds are primarily for the young, both young and old need more cultural and other facilities. Dr MITCHELL'S family life şurvey made some very interesting comments on the pattern of our society in '70s, and I hope this valuable report will be fully utilized. It will be interesting to hear Government's views on it, if not at this time, then perhaps in a debate later in the session.
Sir, I support the motion.
DR S. Y. CHUNG:-Your Excellency, it is significant that what appears to be but the second time there has been an opening of a new session of this Council in the history of Hong Kong is being conducted in an atmosphere of great industrial expansion, flourishing economic prosperity and increasing political confidence.
Our export-oriented manufacturing industry is undergoing the greatest expansion that has ever been seen in Hong Kong. Industrial
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