WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1977
HONG KONG TIME STAYS AT GMT +8
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HONG KONG TIME STAYS AT GMT +8 THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL APPROVED TODAY.
MOVING A MOTION FOR THE ADOPTION OF GMT +8 AS ONE TIME SYSTEM FOR HONG KONG, THE SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS, THE HON. F.K. LI, SAID THE RESULTS OF A SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE HOME AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT CLEARLY INDICATED A GENERAL PREFERENCE FOR GMT +8.
PUBLIC REACTION ON THE TIME SYSTEM WAS OBTAINED BY INVITING COMMENT TO GPO BOX 10,000- BY SOUNDING THROUGH THE HOME AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT AND BY ASKING HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS FOR THEIR VIEWS IN THE LIGHT OF THE IR EXPERIENCE WITH DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS AND DEALINGS WITH THE COMMUNITY,
SUPPORT FOR GMT +8 WAS ALSO REFLECTED IN OPINIONS VOICED IN AND THROUGH THE CHINESE PRESS, MR. LI POINTED OUT.
+ I HAVE THEREFORE CONCLUDED THAT THE RETENTION OF GMT +8 THROUGHOUT THE YEAR REPRESENTS THE GENERAL WISH OF OUR COMMUNITY,+ HE SAID.
ON THE SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE HOME AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT, MR. LI SAID ABOUT 73 PER CENT WAS FOR THE RETENTION OF GMT +8 THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WITH 11 PER CENT FOR GMT +9, 12 PER CENT FOR A DUAL TIME SYSTEM AND THE REMAINDER HAVING NO PREFERENCE.
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HE SAID THAT THE SURVEY TOOK THE FORM OF QUESTIONNAIRES AND INTERVIEWS WITH ABOUT 2,500 RESPONDENTS IN SEPTEMBER AND 2,200 IN NOVEMBER.
HALF OF THE RESPONDENTS FOR THE NOVEMBER SURVEY WERE DRAWN FROM THE LIST INTERVIEWED IN SEPTEMBER AND THE OTHER HALF WERE NEW RESPONDENTS.
+THIS WAS DONE IN ORDER TO PROVIDE A BASIS FOR COMPARISON BETWEEN OPINIONS EXPRESSED BY THE SAME GROUP AT TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AND FOR COMPARISON OF OPINIONS EXPRESSED BY TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS, MR. LI ADDED.
ON THE RETURNS MADE TO GPO BOX 10,000, HE SAID THE RESPONSE IN THE MONTHS OF SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER CONSISTED OF ABOUT 51,000 REPRESENTATIONS IN THE FORM OF LETTERS, CARDS, NEWSPAPER CUTTINGS AND PRINTED SLIPS.
THESE INCLUDED AN ANONYMOUS LETTER CLAIMING THAT MANY PRINTED FORMS WERE FILLED IN BY ONE PERSON OR GROUP OF PERSONS BY TAKING NAMES AND ADDRESSES FROM THE TELEPHONE DIRECTORY.
/+THERE WERE ABOUT