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SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 1975.
SPECIAL SHIPMENT ARRANGEMENT WILL REDUCE TEXTILE PILE-UP
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THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, MR. JIMMY MCGREGOR, SAID TODAY THAT THE SPECIAL SHIPMENT ARRANGEMENT WHICH HE INTRODUCED ON AUGUST 27 HAD RESULTED IN NEARLY 2,000 APPLICATIONS BEING MADE FOR EXPORT LICENCES FOR TEXTILES TO THE EEC.
UNDER THE SCHEME, THE GOODS MUST BE SHIPPED BY SEPTEMBER 4.
THE D.C. AND I HAS ALSO BEEN ISSUING HUNDREDS OF LICENCES EACH DAY FOR EXPORTS MADE AGAINST PRELIMINARY QUOTAS. THESE SHIP- MENTS, TOO, ARE GOING FORWARD NORMALLY.
MR. MCGREGOR SAID THAT THERE WAS NO DOUBT AT THIS STAGE THAT THE SPECIAL SHIPMENT SCHEME WOULD BE SUCCESSFUL IN MOVING SUBSTANTIAL QUANTITIES OF TEXTILE GOODS THE EXPORT OF WHICH HAD BEEN FRUSTRATED BECAUSE COMPANIES DID NOT HAVE THEIR FINAL QUOTAS.
+THE RESPONSE TO THE SCHEME WAS RAPID,+ MR. MCGREGOR SAID, +AND, OF COURSE, IT PLACED AN EVEN GREATER BURDEN ON THE DEPART- MENT'S STAFF MANY OF WHOM HAVE BEEN WORKING LONG HOURS FOR KANY WEEKS.+
+AGAIN, WE WILL WORK THROUGHOUT THIS WEEKEND EXAMINING APPLICATIONS AND CALCULATING THE FINAL QUOTAS.
BECAUSE OF THE URGENCY OF THE SPECIAL SHIPMENT ARRANGEMENT, THE FINAL QUOTA ALLOCATIONS WILL NOT BE SENT TO QUOTA HOLDERS UNTIL TUESDAY. BUT LICENCES FOR GOODS TO DE SHIPPED UNDER THE SPECIAL SCHEME WILL CONTINUE TO DE ISSUED ON MONDAY.
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+1 AM SORRY THAT WE ARE A DAY OR TWO BEYOND THE DATE I PROMISED, MR. MCGREGOR SAID. +BUT, I THINK THE TRADE WILL REALISE THE TREMENDOUS PRESSURES UNDER WHICH WE ARE WORKING.+
MR. MCGREGOR SAID THAT HE WOULD BE HANDING THE DEPARTMENT BACK TO MR. DAVID JORDAN, THE SUBSTANTIVE DIRECTOR," ON MONDAY, SOON AFTER THAT HE WOULD BE JOINING THE HONG KONG GENERAL CHAMDER
AND THAT OF COMMERCE AS ITS NEW DIRECTOR.
+BUT BEFORE I LEAVE THE D.C. AND I., I WISH TO PAY A SPECIAL AND SINCERE TRIBUTE TO THE DEDICATED STAFF OF THE TEXTILES CONTROL DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT, AS WELL AS TO ALL THE OTHER OFFICERS INVOLVED IN THE MAGNIFICENT EFFORT MADE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY AND IN THE FINEST TRADITION OF THE CIVIL SERVICE,+ MR. MCGREGOR SAID.
THE TEXTILES