RESTRICTED
PEQUIREMENTS WILL BE. THESE ARE LARGE AND TO SUPPLY THEM FROM KANGTUNG WOULD REQUIRE SUBSTANTIAL ENGINEERING WORK AND VERY
· CONSIDERABLE RESOURCES. HOWEVER THE AUTHORITY HAS AGREED TO CONSIDER OUR LONG-TERM REQUIREMENTS AND TO DISCUSS WHAT MIGHT BE DONE IN ABOUT A YEARS TIME: THAT IS TO SAY BEFORE WE WOULD HAVE TO COMMENCE ANY OTHER, AND OF COURSE MUCH COSTLIER, LOCAL MEANS OF MAINTAINING THE INCREASE IN SUPPLIES NECESSARY AFTER FEBRUARY
1983. THIS LATTER DEVELOPMENT IS OF SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE, SINCE IT COULD VERY CONSIDERABLY EASE ONE OF THE MAJOR PROBLEMS OF THIS COMMUNITY.
THOUGH THE HIGH ISLAND DAM WATER SCHEME, TO BE OPENED SHORTLY, WILL DOUBLE OUR STORAGE CAPACITY, AND IS A GREAT ENGINEERING FEAT,
IT EXHAUSTS OUR LAST MAJOR CATCHMENT AREA.
IMMIGRATION.
THE HIGH LEVEL OF IMMIGRATION INTO HONG KONG DURING THE LAST
SIX MONTHS HAS BEEN WORRYING, AND IT LOOKS AS IF AT THE PRESENT RATE WE WILL HAVE ABOUT 95,000 IMMIGRANTS THIS YEAR. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT MUST BE KEPT IN PERSPECTIVE SINCE THE LEVEL OF MIGRATION CHANGES CONSIDERABLY FROM YEAR TO YEAR, AND THERE 13 AN OUTFLOW TO OTHER COUNTRIES AS WELL AS AN INFLOW LARGELY FROM NEIGHBOURING PROVINCES OF CHINA. IN THE FIVE YEARS UP TO DECEMBER 1976 THE AVERAGE ANNUAL ARRIVALS FROM CHINA BY ALL MEANS
WERE ABOUT 50,000 BUT HONG KONG'S OVERALL AVERAGE NET GAIN BY MIGRATION OVER THE FIVE-YEAR PERIOD WAS ONLY 18,000 A YEAR, IF THE CURRENT RATE IS MAINTAINED, IT COULD BE AS HIGH AS 60,000. AT THIS RATE TWO EXTRA VERY LARGE HOUSING ESTATES, WITH ALL ACCOMPANYING FACILITIES WOULD BE NECESSARY EACH YEAR IF STANDARDS
WERE NOT TO BE DILUTED.
WE HAVE EXPLAINED BOTH HERE DIRECTLY, AND THROUGH DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS IN PEKING AND LONDON, THE PROBLEMS THAT THIS RATE OF INFLUX COULD PRESENT FOR US IF IT WERE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE, AND 1 VERY MUCH HOPE TO SEE THE FIGURES GRADUALLY AND SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED.
ENDS
MACLEHOSE
FILES
HK & GD (6) MR MURRAY
-2- RESTRICTED
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