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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1979
+THE DATA, OBTAINED WITH A MINIMUM TIME LAG, ARE BASICALLY INTENDED TO FACILITATE A QUICK ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT ECONOMIC SITUATION IN HONG KONG, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY (TUESDAY). APART FROM A LIMITED NUMBER OF QUESTIONS REQUIRING ANSWERS IN QUANTITATIVE TERMS, FIRMS WERE ASKED TO COMPARE THE QUARTER JUST PAST WITH THE PREVIOUS QUARTER AND SIMILARLY FOR THE FORTHCOMING ONE, AND ONLY HAD TO INDICATE WHETHER, IN THEIR OPINION, A CERTAIN VARIABLE WAS 'UP', 'SAME' OR 'DOWN'.
THE SPOKESMAN CAUTIONED THAT IN A SURVEY OF THIS NATURE CONSIDERABLE RESERVATIONS MUST BE MADE IN THE INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS, AS IT WAS DIFFICULT TO ESTABLISH THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE RESPONDENTS' PERCEPTION OF THE PAST AND THE FUTURE ACCORDS WITH THE UNDERLYING TRENDS, AND THE SURVEY RESULTS ARE PROBABLY AFFECTED CONSIDERABLY BY SEASONALITY.
COPIES OF THE REPORT, CONTAINING AN ANALYSIS OF, AND STATISTICAL TABLES ON. VARIOUS ECONOMIC VARIABLES, HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED TO FIRMS TAKING PART IN THE SURVEY AND OTHER BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS.
DEATH SENTENCES COMMUTED
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THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, AFTER TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE ADVICE OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL HAS DECIDED THE DEATH SENTENCES PASSED ON MAY 13, 1977, ON CHONG MAN AND TANG CHI- KEUNG SHOULD BE COMMUTED TO IMPRISONMENT FOR 20 YEARS AND THE DEATH SENTENCES PASSED ON LAW MING-TAK AND YICK CHUNG ON THE SAME DATE SHOULD BE COMMUTED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT.
THE FOUR WERE FOUND GUILTY OF THE MURDER ON JULY 18, 1973, LAU WAH.
THE GOVERNOR HAS ALSO COMMUTED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT THE DEATH SENTENCE PASSED ON CHAU WING-WAH FOR THE MURDER ON FEBRUARY 9, 1975, OF CHOW HONG-YAU. CHAU WAS SENTENCED ON DECEMBER 29, 1977.
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