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INDUSTRY AND TRADE
Commerce and Industry Department to be of Hong Kong origin were valued at $3,898.2 million.
The department also issues certificates to enable Hong Kong products to claim preferential rates of duty on entry into Britain and a number of other Commonwealth territories which grant preference to Hong Kong. Commonwealth preference certificates are issued against, either legal undertakings by manufacturers to use Commonwealth raw materials, or detailed cost statements for each type of product, prepared by public accountants approved for the purpose. Exports covered by Commonwealth preference certificates were valued at $1,204.8 million.
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United States law prohibits the importation of certain classes of goods presumed to originate from the People's Republic of China, North Korea or North Vietnam, unless evidence is produced to the contrary. As Hong Kong manufacturers produce many goods in these categories, the department issues comprehensive certificates of origin under special certification procedures agreed with the United States authorities. During the year, goods valued at $981.4 million were exported to the United States and its dependencies under comprehensive certificates of origin. The total value of Hong Kong products certified under departmental certification procedures in 1967 was $3,897.2 million, representing over 58 per cent of total exports of locally manufactured products.
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ADMINISTRATION
With the establishment, in 1966, of the Trade Development Council as a statutory organization responsible for Hong Kong's trade pro- motion, the Commerce and Industry Department is now concerned with all other matters affecting trade and industry except labour and banking. These include overseas commercial relations, industrial development, certification, trade controls. Until the new Census and Statistics Department was established in December 1967, it was also concerned with statistics.
There are two Commercial Relations Divisions whose spheres of responsibility are divided on a geographical basis. One is concerned with Europe and the other with the rest of the world. They keep watch on commercial measures adopted by other countries which