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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1977
CLOTHING INDUSTRY VITAL TO HONG KONG'S ECONOMY
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THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DENYS ROBERTS, SAID TODAY THE CLOTHING INDUSTRY HAS PLAYED AND WILL CONTINUE TO PLAY A VITAL PART IN HONG KONG'S ECONOMY.
SIR DENYS SAID THIS IN A SPEECH HE DELIVERED ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE CLOTHING INDUSTRY TRAINING CENTRE.
SIR MURRAY WAS SCHEDULED TO OPEN THE CENTRE BUT WAS INDISPOSED.
+LET NO ONE MISUNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS OF RESTRICTIONIST ATTITUDES ABROAD, OR OF OUR CURRENT NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE EEC -- THIS INDUSTRY WILL CONTINUE TO PLAY A VITAL PART FOR MANY YEARS TO COME, THOUGH ITS COURSE MAY NOT BE EASY AND IT WILL CERTAINLY NEED TO SHOW IN THE FUTURE THE SAME FLEXIBILITY AND ADAPTABILITY IT HAS SHOWN SO OFTEN IN THE PAST, SIR DENYS SAID.
+THIS,+ HE ADDED, +WILL NEED HIGHLY TRAINED MANPOWER AS WELL AS IMAGINATIVE AND AGGRESSIVE MANAGEMENT.+
SIR DENYS ALSO PLEDGED THE GOVERNMENT'S FULL SUPPORT TO THE CLOTHING INDUSTRY TRAINING AUTHORITY IN FUTURE.
THE FOLLOWING IS THE TEXT OF THE GOVERNOR'S SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE CHIEF SECRETARY:
+DURING THE PAST TWO MONTHS, TWO IMPORTANT EVENTS HAVE OCCURRED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRIAL TRAINING IN HONG KONG.
+FIRSTLY, LAST AUGUST WE SAW THE COMPLETION OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY TRAINING CENTRE. TODAY, WE SEE THE OPENING OF THIS TRAINING CENTRE FOR THE CLOTHING INDUSTRY. SINCE IT IS LITTLE MORE THAN TWO YEARS SINCE THE INDUSTRIAL TRAINING (CLOTHING INDUSTRY) ORDINANCE WAS ENACTED AND THE STATUTORY CLOTHING INDUSTRY TRAINING AUTHORITY APPOINTED, THIS IS FAST WORK INDEED.
+ COMMEND THE INDUSTRY FOR TAKING THIS VIGOROUS INITIATIVE TO SOLVE ITS OWN SKILLED MANPOWER PROBLEMS.
+ THE GOVERNMENT HAS PROVIDED THE LAND FREE AND A LOAN OF ABOUT 4 MILLION DOLLARS TO GET THE CENTRE STARTED, AND THE AUTHORITY MAY COUNT ON THE GOVERNMENT'S FULL SUPPORT IN THE FUTURE.
/+AS YOU HAVE