Curfew for juveniles, an opium raid and a visit by Edward Kennedy: headlines from four decades ago
A journey back through time to look at some significant news and events reported by the South China Morning Post from this week in history
Hong Kong was headed towards a new era in computing with the government applying the technology widely in the running of the administration as reported by the Post four decades ago this week. In other news, the authorities were considering adopting flexible working hours to alleviate peak hour traffic in a bid to cope with an increasing population of workers.
January 8, 1978
● China was to issue traveller’s cheques in renminbi from January 20. They would be in 50 and 100 yuan denominations. According to Bank of China officials in Hong Kong, the cheques could be purchased at the 13 branches in the city and a branch in Macau. The cheques would be valid for six months from the date of purchase.
● Macau’s government signed a HK$120 million contract with a local consortium for a Coloane Island development. The consortium, headed by a number of prominent Hong Kong and Macau businessmen including Ho Yin, Stanley Ho and Roque Chiu, would lease a 1,028,825 square metre (11 million sq ft) site at Hak Sa Beach. It would generate about HK$1 million a year for the Macau government, and a tourist complex would be built over a 25-year period.
January 9, 1978
● Community leaders welcomed the idea of imposing a curfew for juveniles as was done in many American cities. They said the measure would help reduce crime by juvenile offenders and prevent them from being exposed to “bad elements”. According to the law in some US cities, anyone under 14 was prohibited from being “on a sidewalk, street, alley or public place after 10pm”. Those under 18 were given until midnight to return home.
● Cooperation between the Macau police and Hong Kong customs officers led to the detection of a drug smuggling operation. A team of detectives followed a man home after he picked up a parcel from a post office, which was later seized and found to contain raw opium valued at more than HK$100,000.
January 10, 1978
● US senator Edward Kennedy called for increased cultural, scientific and technical exchanges between the US and China as the next step in the diplomatic normalisation process. Speaking after a two-week visit to China, Kennedy said Taiwan remained the main obstacle towards normalisation. During talks with high-ranking mainland officials, he suggested that the US should supply advanced oil technology to China in exchange for a share of Chinese oil production. While in China, the senator met vice-premier Deng Xiaoping.
● Chairman of the Urban Council A. de O. Sales was expected to inject “new thinking” into the overall hawker policy at the council’s public meeting. His statement on hawkers was expected to reaffirm most councillors’ views that hawking was an economic enterprise and not a form of welfare.
● Some government offices were considering adopting staggered or flexible working hours in a month. The flexible hours would mean workers could choose when to arrive and leave (within reason). The new work arrangements were expected to significantly reduce traffic congestion during peak hours.
January 11, 1978
● The police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption were to be closely studied by a top-level three-man team of British police advisers. A government statement said the team’s role would be to encourage and suggest improvements where needed. It was understood that discipline and morale were two matters of major interest in their investigation.
January 12, 1978
● Chief Secretary Denys Roberts revealed to the Legislative Council that computer use cost the government about HK$1 million a week. He said it was the government’s policy to employ computers, if practicable, to reduce staff costs and in the name of efficiency.
● Hong Kong’s largest voluntary agency – the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals – was riddled with “serious weaknesses in management”, the Director of Audit revealed in a report while documenting a “thorough appraisal” of the group. One project took six years instead of two years to complete, with cost rising by nearly four times. The group had also failed to lay down standard staff ratios for its hospitals, without which it was difficult to monitor the efficient deployment of personnel.
January 13, 1978
● To meet new life-saving requirements, the Hong Kong and Yaumati Ferry Co would spend about HK$1.5 million to make 36,000 life jackets and provide on-board stowage racks this year. Action was taken following the collision 10 months ago between a ferry and a hydrofoil.
● Hong Kong was running out of limited-edition gold coins to commemorate the Year of the Horse. The government said the demand for the 22-carat piece had far exceeded supply.
January 14, 1978
● World-Wide Shipping Group chairman Y.K. Pao said he would suggest to the Japanese government a “scrap and build” programme designed to help lift the tanker industry from its current depression. The scheme would not only reduce tanker surplus but also help stimulate the Japanese economy by assisting steel mills, shipyards and shipping-related industries.
● The Hong Kong Housing Society started four major home-ownership projects in the Western and Wan Chai districts to provide about 1,000 new flats for families in the lower-middle-income group. The government provided loans of up to HK$100 million for the scheme’s development fund, and the Housing Society would step up its programme to acquire old and dilapidated buildings for slum clearance.
Remember A Day looks at significant news and events reported by the SCMP from this week in history
