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their length and suitability as padding than for their suitability to the market.
5.
In an attempt to test the reception of LPS items which are intelligently and selectively placed, I have been experimenting since June, 1966 in sending to a few selected recipients roneo extracts of items I thought might be of interest. The response has been encouraging. Some 10 per cent of these efforts have evoked a response of which we have heard, and in at least two cases the enquiries have been such, that we know the British firms concerned have thought it worth while to send somebody to Hong Kong. It is probable that in fact the interest aroused is greater than this, but we have no proof of it.
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6. I have therefore come to the conclusion that we should embark on a more systematic distribution in Hong Kong of the LPS commercial output. I recommend that we should start producing a monthly bulletin on the lines of that sent out by the High Commission in Singapore entitled 'Industrial Britain." The contents would be selections from the C.0.1. technical and industrial output on LPS, together with illustrations. I would also envisage printing LPS articles on economic matters of interest to Hong Kong.
7. In addition to the printing costs which I believe would be about HK 1.50 per copy for a run of a 40 page booklet at one thousand copies per month,, plus 10 cents per copy postage, extra staff would be needed. Overall supervision to start with would come from the existing Assistant Trade Commissioner (Grade 7) in my office, a post at present filled by an officer with a lot of Information experience. But his commercial work is heavy and he would certainly not be able to devote sufficient time to the project to enable him to select, arrange and edit the items to be printed and do the proof reading, etc. He would also be hamstrung if any Chinese translation was thought necessary.
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8. I therefore propose that we employ a local officer to look after this project. I recommend he should be known as Commercial Assistant (Information) and should be on a salary of HK 1366 x 65 to HK 1691 x 64 to HK 1755 which is the Ministry of Defence local Executive Officer scale. His main duties would be to prepare and oversee the publication of the proposed magazine. In addition he would draft and issue all press releases (and we should be doing more of this sort of thing to publicise British business visitors), and establish contact with the Chinese press and with the TV stations to whom we are strangers at the moment. I estimate this would occupy about 60 per cent of his time, and I would like to take up the balance with normal commercial duties, not only visiting firms on specific enquiries, but also assisting the Commercial Officer in research work into industrial development, a field where we are very rock at present.
9. I have prepared a separate submission on the need to provide a second Assistant Commercial Officer for purely commercial work of a routino nature.
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(M.P.V. Hannam)
Principal Trade Commissioner