MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1979
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SIR MURRAY CONTINUED: THIS REGRESSIVE ATTITUDE HAS BEEN PRESENTED AS BEING JUSTIFIED BY THE DAMAGE ALLEGEDLY STILL BEING CAUSED BY SO-CALLED LOW COST IMPORTS WHICH HAVE, TO A
GREATER OR LESSER EXTENT, BEEN SUBJECT TO RESTRICTION FOR NEARLY TWO DECADES.
+THE FREQUENCY AND FERVOUR OF THESE ALLEGATIONS. HOWEVER TEND TO OBSCURE THE FACT THAT THERE IS LITTLE EVIDENCE SUPPORTING THEM.
+THERE IS, ON THE OTHER HAND, INCREASING BUT LESS PUBLICISED EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE CONTENTION THAT THE DECLINING FORTUNES OF THESE INDUSTRIES ARE DUE MUCH MORE TO OTHER FACTORS, SUCH AS INTERNAL COMPETITION BETWEEN EFFICIENT AND LESS EFFICIENT PRODUCERS AND NEGLECT OF EXPORT MARKETS, SIR MURRAY SAID.
SIR MURRAY ALSO REFERRED TO A RECENT REPORT BY THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD) TO ILLUSTRATE THIS POINT.
ON HONG KONG'S CLOTHING INDUSTRY, SIR MURRAY SAID IT WAS THE LARGEST SECTOR OF THE LOCAL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY BOTH IN TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT AND VALUE OF EXPORTS, HAVING SOME 10 000 ESTABLISHMENTS AND EMPLOYING SOME 276 000 WORKERS WHICH REPRESENTED 34 PER CENT OF HONG KONG'S TOTAL WORKFORCE IN THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY.
+DESPITE THE BARRIERS POSED BY INCREASING PROTECTIONISM FROM DEVELOPED IMPORTING COUNTRIES AND COMPETITION FROM NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES, HONG KONG'S CLOTHING INDUSTRY HAS GROWN STEADILY SINCE THE 1950'S UNTIL IT IS NOW THE WORLD'S LARGEST EXPORTER,+ SIR MURRAY SAID.
THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF CLOTHING FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR AMOUNTED TO OVER HK$8 600 MILLION REPRESENTING ABOUT 37 PER CENT OF TOTAL DOMESTIC EXPORTS.
SIR MURRAY SAID BOTH THE GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRIALISTS IN HONG KONG HAD SEEN THE NEED TO MAINTAIN THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE LOCAL CLOTHING INDUSTRY BY PROMOTING INDUSTRIAL TRAINING.
+TO THIS END THE GOVERNMENT APPOINTED IN 1974 A CLOTHING INDUSTRY TRAINING BOARD, UNDER THE HONG KONG TRAINING COUNCIL, AS ITS PRINCIPAL ADVISER ON INDUSTRIAL TRAINING IN THE CLOTHING INDUSTRY.
+ IN 1975 THE GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHED BY ORDINANCE THE CLOTHING TRAINING AUTHORITY, WHICH IS EMPOWERED TO PROVIDE COURSES FOR THE TRAINING OF WORKERS AT THE OPERATIVE LEVEL, AND TO COLLECT A LEVY ON ALL CLOTHING ITEMS EXPORTED FROM HONG KONG,+ SIR MURRAY SAID.
SIR MURRAY SAID THE LEVY HAD BEEN USED TO BUILD, EQUIP AND MAINTAIN A TRAINING CENTRE TO TRAIN CLOTHING OPERATIVES AND IT WAS FEEDING ANNUALLY ABOUT 4 000 WELL-TRAINED OPERATIVES INTO THE CLOTHING INDUSTRY.
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