TNAG-0564-FCO40-659-Construction-of-an-underground-railway-system-in-Hong-Kong-1975 — Page 89

GR 150

PRIORITY

CYPHER/CAT A

CONFIDENTIAL

13

1

HKK

FM HONG KONG 219740Z

CONFIDENTIAL

RECEIVED IN

REGIST "

21 JULIS

HKK 21/20

TO PRIORITY FCO TELNO 717 OF 21 JULY INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON (FCO PLEASE PASS).

YOUR TELEGRAM 5641

3

62

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS, SUGGESTED REPLIES:

1

(A) ABOUT 2,500 PEOPLE WOULD BE EMPLOYED BY CONTRACTORS ON ACTUAL 214CONSTRUCTION IN THE EARLY STAGES OF BUILDING THE MODIFIED INITIAL

SYSTEM OF THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY. THIS FIGURE WOULD RISE TO SOME 4,500 BETWEEN 1976 AND 1978, WHEN THE BULK OF THE WORK WOULD BE UNDERTAKEN.

NOTE IN ADDITION, THE FULL ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PROPOSED MASS TRANS RAILWAY CORPORATION WOULD BE ABOUT 1,100 PERSONS, INCLUDING OPERAT- IONAL STAFF.

HKK2 | 18 (8)

НКК

(B) THERE ARE NOW 190,000 VEHICLES ON THE ROADS OF HONG KONG, BY 1980, WHEN THE MODIFIED INITIAL SYSTEM OF THE MTR WOULD BE COMPLETED IF IT IS DECIDED TO PROCEED WITH THE PROJECT, THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES IS EXPECTED TO BE 279,000.

(C) THE MOST REPRESENTATIVE INDICATOR OF THE RATE OF INFLATION IN HONG KONG, THE GENERAL INDEX OF CONSUMER PRICES, ROSE BY 1.8 PERCENT BETWEEN THE SECOND QUARTER OF 1974 AND THE SECOND QUARTER OF 1975.

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HKK

13.

(D) NINETEEN.

113.

(E) 7,347. FIGURES FOR THE PREVIOUS FIVE YEARS ARE

1969

40,216

1970

47,212

1971

25,600

1972

41,834

1973

44,164

MACLEHOSE

FILES

HXIOD(3)

CLA

ECONOMISTS DEPT

SIR D WATSON SIR D MAITLAND

21

COPIES TO

pai

MR KIDD, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE 6 GRAFTON STREET W 1

MR FARRY OPG DOT VICTORIA STREET