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PUBLICATIONS, BROADCASTING AND FILMS
not have been undertaken in the Colony. (The original edition of 190,000 was produced, monochrome in two runs, in the United Kingdom).
The appointment in August of an Information Officer to the Hong Kong Government Office in London was a new departure in developing the Colony's public relations overseas. The officer concerned, who is an experienced London newspaperman with an interest in Hong Kong and its affairs of many years' standing, visited the Colony shortly after his appointment and spent two months familiarizing himself with almost every aspect of local activity.
Less spectacular than the developments outlined above, but of equal importance in the Department's overall programme, has been the steady stepping up of the output of news, feature articles and photographs, paralleled by greater demands than ever upon the Department's senior personnel by visiting journalists, broad- casters and television personalities. Nearly 100 such visitors to the Colony were briefed with background information and provided with facilities in the first four months of the year alone. There was some slight falling off in numbers during the later months of the year, probably attributable (since most such visitors come from the USA) to domestic interest in the Presidential elections. The results again showed that such work is among the most valuable carried out by the Information Services. As far as can be judged from cuttings received in Hong Kong almost all those who were briefed reported favourably on the Colony to audiences that must add up to hundreds of millions.
The Press Division's Daily Bulletins of Government and official news continue to grow in scope. Well over 3,000 items are issued in the course of a year and the Bulletin is distributed in English and Chinese editions to all local newspapers and to foreign news agencies and correspondents. In addition to providing written material, the staff of the Press Division deals each year with many hundreds of individual inquiries from newspapermen working in the Colony. Such inquiries have greatly increased in number during recent months, with many journalists taking advantage of the 24-hour service provided by the Division.
Press photographs taken locally or supplied from London by the Central Office of Information are also distributed by the