MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 1975.
H.K. SEEKING IMMEDIATE CONSULTATION WITH EEC
ON TEXTILE QUOTA PROBLEM
****
FOLLOWING A MEETING OF THE TEXTILES ADVISORY BOARD THIS AFTERNOON, THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, MR. JIMMY MCGREGOR, ANNOUNCED THAT IMMEDIATE CONSULTATIONS ARE BEING SOUGHT WITH THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMISSION ABOUT THE DIFFICULTIES THAT ARE BEING EXPERIENCED IN IMPLEMENTING THE RECENTLY CONCLUDED TEXTILES AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE E.E.C. AND HONG KONG.
THESE DIFFICULTIES ARISE FROM THE FACT THAT HONG KONG'S QUOTA RIGHTS UNDER THE AGREEMENT ARE NOT SUFFICIENT IN A NUMBER OF CATEGORIES TO MEET ORDERS ALREADY CONTRACTED BEFORE JULY 18, 1975 FOR DELIVERY OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
MR. MCGREGOR SAID THAT MR. LAWRIE MILLS AND MR. BRIAN CHAU ARE LEAVING FOR EUROPE LATER THIS EVENING AND WILL BE JOINED BY MR. DAVID JORDAN, THE SUBSTANTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT WHO IS PRESENTLY ON LEAVE.
+MEANWHILE+, MR. MCGREGOR ADDED, I HAVE DECIDED, ON ADVICE FROM TEXTAB, TO INCREASE THE QUANTITIES AVAILABLE FOR SHIPMENT BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF THE YEAR IN A NUMBER OF CATEGORIES AND TO ISSUE INCREASED PRELIMINARY QUOTAS WITHIN THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
+1 HAVE ALSO DECIDED TO PERMIT THE EXPORT OF 50 PER CENT OF THE OUTSTANDING BALANCES OF ALL EXPORT REGISTRATIONS EXCEPT THOSE IN THREE CATEGORIES. THIS WILL TAKE IMMEDIATE EFFECT. IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO INCREASE THE PROPORTION AT A LATER STAGE.
+I HAVE ALSO GIVEN AN ASSURANCE TO THE TRADE THAT THE FINAL QUOTAS FOR 1975 WILL BE ISSUED BY AUGUST 31 AND THAT THE 1976 QUOTAS WILL BE NOTIFIED TO QUOTA HOLDERS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE THEREAFTER.
+I AM ALSO TODAY RELEASING DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE QUANTITIES AVAILABLE FOR SHIPMENT IN ALL CATEGORIES UNTIL THE END OF 1975 AND IN 1976 AND 1977, AND THE CRITERIA WHICH HAVE BEEN APPLIED TO THE CALCULATION AND THE ISSUE OF THE EEC QUOTAS.
+THESE MEASURES WILL, I AM SURE, REDUCE THE PRESENT UNCERTAINTY IN THE TRADE AND IMPROVE THE SHIPMENT POSITION IN THE CATEGORIES WHICH HAVE BEEN MOST AFFECTED, MR. MCGREGOR SAID,
15