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HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT
of this kind in Continental Europe. A delegation, led by Mr. C. Blaker, M.C., E.D., Chairman of the General Chamber of Commerce, attended the fair; several Hong Kong firms for the first time had their own booths displaying their own particular products; the range and quality of the products of local industry excited encouragingly favourable comment. It is always difficult to assess the benefits of participation in trade fairs, but there was a noticeable increase in West German trade inquiries and trade visitors after the Frankfurt exhibition.
Once again the Chinese Manufacturers' Union held an exhibition in December-the fourteenth in a series which began before the war-designed to show the people of the Colony and overseas buyers the great variety of manufactures in Hong Kong and the progress made in the previous twelve months. The exhibition which took place on the site of the new City Hall was characterized this year by more sophis- ticated stall design, and by improved packaging and presenta- tion of products.
The Trade Promotion Branch of the Commerce and Industry Department, which is responsible for organizing Colony participation in overseas trade fairs, also publishes and distributes overseas a monthly illustrated Trade Bulletin' mainly financed by local advertisers, and special publicity literature for fairs and businessmen. In two years, the Bulletin has established a lively and succinct manner of presentation, and has built up a circulation of 1,500 local and 7,500 overseas readers. A new edition of the department's 'Commerce, Industry and Finance Directory' was prepared in readiness for publication early in 1957.
Possessing almost no raw materials, Hong Kong's claim to originate its manufactures rests on the work done in process- ing imported materials, or their transformation into entirely new products. The Commerce and Industry Department during 1956 augmented its efforts to ensure that goods which it certifies as originating in Hong Kong. warrant such