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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1977,
CHANGE OF TITLE DOES NOT ALTER HK'S FREE PORT STATUS
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MR. PHILIP HADDON-CAVE, ACTING CHIEF SECRETARY, SAID TODAY THAT THE RETITLING OF THE PREVENTIVE SERVICE TO CUSTOMS AND EXCISE SERVICE IN NO WAY REPRESENTS A CHANGE IN HONG KONG'S FREE PORT STATUS NOR DOES IT HERALD ANY CHANGE IN HONG KONG'S FREE TRADE POLICIES.
MR. HADDON-CAVE SAID THAT THE ABSENCE OF A GENERAL CUSTOMS TARIFF AND THE UNRESTRICTED MOVEMENT OF CARGO IN AND OUT OF HONG KONG WOULD CONTINUE, EXCEPT WHERE, FOR ONE SPECIAL REASON OR ANOTHER CONTROL WAS NECESSARY.
MR. HADDON-CAVE SAID HE WAS AWARE THAT MANY SERVING MEMBERS OF THE SERVICE HAD LONG FELT THAT THE PREVIOUS NAME. THE PREVENTIVE SERVICE, WAS OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD OVERSEAS AND NOT TRULY DESCRIPTIVE OF THE FUNCTIONS THEY PERFORM.
HE WAS SPEAKING AT A PASSING-OUT PARADE OF CUSTOMS INSPECTORS AND OFFICERS AT THE SERVICE'S TRAINING SCHOOL AT TAI LAM CHUNG. IT WAS THE FIRST AND THE LARGEST PARADE OF ITS KIND EVER HELD BY THE SERVICE UNDER THE NEW NAME.
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MORE THAN 70 OFFICERS 16 INSPECTORS AND 57 RANK AND FILE TOOK PART IN THE PARADE MARKING THE COMPLETION OF A TWO-MONTH INDUCTION TRAINING COURSE.
HE REMINDED THE OFFICERS, HOWEVER, THAT THEY SHOULD NOT ASSUME THE COURSE THEY HAD JUST FINISHED TO BE THE END OF THEIR TRAINING.
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+ON THE CONTRARY, ONLY THROUGH EXPERIENCE AS SERVING OFFICERS WILL YOU BECOME TRULY KNOWLEDGEABLE AND EFFICIENT IN THE DISCHARGE OF YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS PUBLIC SERVANTS,+ HE SAID.
+ THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF YOUR SERVICE ARE MANIFOLD+,
MR. HADDON-CAVE ADDED.
+TWO ARE WORTHY OF PARTICULAR MENTION. THE PROTECTION OF EXCISE REVENUE STILL REPRESENTS ONE OF YOUR MORE IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITIES. I SAY THIS BECAUSE THE REVENUE FROM DUTIABLE COMMODITIES - WHICH, THIS YEAR, I HAVE ESTIMATED WILL AMOUNT TO OVER $730 MILLION - CONSTITUTES ALMOST 10 PER CENT OF THE GOVERNMENT'S TOTAL REVENUE.
+ IN THE FIGHT AGAINST DANGEROUS DRUGS, THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF YOUR SERVICE IN RECENT YEARS HAVE COME TO BE HELD IN HIGH ESTEEM BOTH LOCALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY.
+HOWEVER, THERE IS NO ROOM FOR COMPLACENCY.
THIS EVIL OF
THE DRUG TRAFFIC IS STILL FAR FROM BEING ERADICATED.
+ IN THIS FIELD YOU WILL NEED TO BE EVER VIGILANT AND MORE MINDFUL THAT THOSE WHO CALLOUSLY TRADE IN DRUGS, RUIN MANY LIVES AND CAUSE UNTOLD GRIEF TO THEIR FAMILIES, MR. HADDON-CAVE SAID.
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