was inevitable.
12.
CONFIDENTIAL
The figures of achievement in
the principal fields such as housing, education, social
welfare and medical and health services show
significant growth, and make satisfactory reading,
but certainly in neither housing nor secondary
education were they as high as we would have wished,
given the deficiencies which exist. Now that there is
a prospect of recovery, it is essential that as soon
as possible we make up for lost time. Failure to
do so risks forfeiture of the goodwill of the
population.
However over-burdening the economy or
taking any action which will have the effect of
discouraging investment or employment, might retard
the recovery and growth on which, in the final analysis,
social progress here must be based.
20.
In such a rapidly changing situation it is hard
to be certain about budgetary possibilities, but at the
moment of writing and one must never forget that
everything depends on political and economic events
elsewhere the figures encourage me to believe that
this Government will find the resources to achieve a
significant further surge of progress in 1976, and that
by 1977 we should be back on the course plotted
before the recession struck.
21.
I am sending copies of this despatch to
H.M. Ambassadors at Peking, Tokyo and Washington.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.