MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 1979
+ I AM IMPRESSED BY THE PROGRESS MADE BY THE COUNCIL IN THESE COMPETITIONS, THEY HAVE SHARPENED AWARENESS OF THE NEED FOR SPECIALIST EDUCATION FOR THOSE WHO HAVE TALENT AS DESIGNERS.
+THE MODERN CONCEPT OF DESIGN GOES BEYOND THE STYLING OR EXTERNAL BEAUTY OF A PRODUCT AND INTO SUCH AREAS AS PRODUCT STRUCTURE, ITS FUNCTION AND ENGINEERING, THE USE OF MATERIALS, ECONOMIES OF PRODUCTION AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND ERGONOMIC ASPECTS, TOO. IT IS THE HARD TASK OF THE JUDGES TO TAKE ALL THESE COMPONENTS OF DESIGN INTO ACCOUNT. AND THEY DO SO.
+THE COUNCIL HAS SPREAD INTO OTHER AREAS: IT HOLDS EXHIBITIONS TO SHOW TRENDS IN PRODUCT DESIGN IN OTHER COUNTRIES.
ITS DESIGN CLINIC AND THE DESIGN DEPOSITORY HAVE BEEN WELL UTILIZED BY DESIGNERS AND MANUFACTURERS ALIKE. THE DESIGNERS' ASSOCIATION, ESTABLISHED BY THE COUNCIL SEVERAL YEARS AGO, HAS NOW BECOME THE UNITED VOICE OF HONG KONG DESIGNERS.
+ AM SURE THE COUNCIL WILL CONTINUE ITS EFFORTS TO IMPROVE STANDARDS OF DESIGN OF HONG KONG PRODUCTS AND TO ENCOURAGE THE USE OF HONG KONG DESIGNS BY HONG KONG MANUFACTURERS.
+IN RECENT YEARS DESIGN EDUCATION HAS PROGRESSED CONSIDERABLY IN HONG KONG AND MY WIFE HAS BEEN AN ENTHUSIASTIC OBSERVER OF THE HIGH LEVEL OF WORK DONE BY THE STUDENTS OF THE POLYTECHNIC'S DESIGN DEPARTMENT.
+BUYERS OF APPARENTLY WELL DESIGNED ARTICLES ARE ENTITLED TO BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE BEEN PRODUCED TO SPECIFICATION, THAT THEY CAN RELY UPON THEM, THAT THEY ARE SAFE TO USE. THE FEDERATION'S RECENTLY ESTABLISHED SEAL OF APPROVAL SCHEME COULD BE AN IMPORTANT MEANS OF IMPARTING THAT CONFIDENCE.
BUY
+YOU HAVE REFERRED, MR CHAIRMAN, TO THE FEDERATION'S HONG KONG CAMPAIGN. I AM GLAD TO HEAR THAT IT IS OFF TO A GOOD START. NO DOUBT AN INCREASING NUMBER OF LOCAL MANUFACTURERS WILL SEE THE BENEFITS TO BE GAINED FROM SELLING SOME OF THEIR PRODUCTS ON THE LOCAL MARKET ONCE THE RESULTS OF PARTICIPATING IN THE EXHIBITION BECOME MORE WIDELY KNOWN.
+1 WELL UNDERSTAND, MR CHAIRMAN, YOUR DEEP INTEREST IN THE ACTIVITIES OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON DIVERSIFICATION AND THE PRACTICAL CONSEQUENCES WHICH WILL FLOW FROM ITS PRESENT DELIBERATIONS. I SHALL NOT ATTEMPT TO ANTICIPATE THE OUTCOME OF THIS ACTIVITY BUT I DO ASSURE YOU THAT IT WILL BE TREATED WITH THOROUGH AND PROMPT ATTENTION BY THE GOVERNMENT WHEN THE COMMITTEE REPORTS LATER THIS YEAR.
+FINALLY, I NOW ANNOUNCE THAT THIS YEAR'S GOVERNOR'S AWARD HAS BEEN WON BY RADOFIN ELECTRONICS (FAR EAST) LIMITED WITH THE IR TELETEXT DECODING RECEIVER WHICH, IN THE VIEW OF THE JUDGES IS THE MOST COMPLEX CONSUMER ELECTRONICS PRODUCT YET PRODUCED IN HONG KONG.
+1 DO MOST SINCERELY WISH THE COUNCIL FURTHER SUCCESS IN ITS NEXT TEN YEARS AND 1 NOW CALL UPON THE COMPANY'S REPRESENTATIVE TO COME FORWARD TO COLLECT THE TROPHY.+
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