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Information side during the 1968 troubles. Looking back, the achievements in housing and medical care in the 1950s and 60s, given the relative poverty of Hong Kong at that time, was quite remarkable. When account is taken of the slowing down of the present 10-year Housing Plan, it could well be that the pace of rehousing people will turn out to be hardly better in these more affluent days than they were in the crisis years of 1957-67. The reference to "public support" here and in many other places in the Paper seems to me to be entirely fallacious. You can improve education, build better houses, multiply your hospitals, on the safe assumption that public opinion is behind you.
Para. 26(b)
The words "providing social security" should be deleted. There is no social security in Hong Kong as that expression is understood.
Para. 27
Delete first sentence.
Para.28
It is not a question of higher taxation in Hong Kong so much perhaps as a wider spread of taxation through the introduction of income tax. Salaries tax is at present paid by only about 140,000 people in Hong Kong and to increase the rates unduly would produce an unfair balance of taxation.
Para. 29(c)
Given the opposition of the Chinese Government to constitutional advance, the use of the word "Ministers" should, I think, be avoided. More appropriate perhaps would be the word "Members".
Para. 32
st
The sentence beginning "The present Governor recognises this surely ought to come out for the reasons I have given earlier. One does not need the "assurance of public support" when one takes measures to improve the lives of the public.
The argument at the end of the paragraph is, as I have suggested earlier, not well-founded, since I think theremust be serious doubts about the extent to which Hong Kong now depends on outside investment.
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841
Para. 33
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