ENG-1965 — Page 14

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REVIEW

Kong's rapid population increase and industrialization inevitably give rise.

The year was notable for the public debate of two important issues of future policy. The wealth generated by the Colony's industrial economy produces to the superficial observer so general an impression of prosperity that the basic and growing problems in the field of social welfare can easily be overlooked. Today it is possible to walk the streets for a month and never meet a true beggar. The majority of people are well dressed and look healthy, and the standards of living and leisure are markedly higher in every way than they were 15 years ago. Unfortunately prosperity is not yet universal and there are still those who need help both by way of financial assistance and by way of counsel. The very prosperity which buoys up the majority makes the situation of the minority harder to bear. In a place which changes as rapidly as Hong Kong it is important also to make provision not merely to meet the social problems of the present but also to try and-assess the problems that will be encountered in the years ahead.

It was not surprising, therefore, that a white paper entitled ‘Aims and Policy for Social Welfare in Hong Kong', first tabled in November 1964, continued to draw considerable interest in 1965. The paper had been described by the Colonial Secretary as repre- senting 'an honest, pragmatic attempt to propose a realistic frame- work, within which the government's future resources might be properly and soundly laid out and within which also the voluntary welfare agencies might find some guidance as to the direction in which they might best continue their important efforts without duplication and waste.' The main criticisms levelled at the white paper were that it was an 'apologia for inaction', that it represented a negative approach to one of the Colony's biggest problems, and that nowhere did it touch the heart of the problem. It was also described as 'packed with financial timidity.' However when it was debated in the Legislative Council, members still found much to praise.

A modified version of the white paper was tabled and the acting Colonial Secretary then stated: 'It has been amended following the receipt of a great deal of comment and advice from charitable organizations, individuals, the press and many others interested in the government's social welfare policy. Not all these bodies are in