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MONDAY, MAY 5, 1980
+AS A FIRST STEP TOWARDS IMPLEMENTING THIS RECOMMENDATION, WE ARE ABOUT TO CONDUCT A SURVEY OF ALL PRIVATE SECTOR FACILITIES WHICH CURRENTLY EXIST IN HONG KONG.
+THE RESULTS OF THAT SURVEY WILL BE EVALUATED BY A SOON-TO- BE ESTABLISHED INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT BOARD WHICH WILL BE CHARGED WITH DETERMINING, IN SPECIFIC TERMS, WHAT MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE AND ADVISING THE GOVERNMENT ON THE EXTENT, IF ANY, TO WHICH PUBLIC FUNDS MAY BE REQUIRED TO AUGMENT THE PRESENT FACILITIES, MR DORWARD SAID.
HE PAID TRIBUTE TO THE PIONEERING WORK DONE BY THE HONG KONG STANDARDS AND TESTING CENTRE AND THEIR EFFORTS IN REPRESENTING HONG KONG INTERESTS IN INTERNATIONAL BODIES. BY AND LARGE, THE TASK OF STANDARD DEVELOPMENT AND QUALITY CERTIFICATION HAS BEEN LEFT TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR LABORATORIES+, HE EXPLAINED.
+THIS LACK OF DIRECT GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT DOES NOT REFLECT LACK OF INTEREST OR APPRECIATION OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SUBJECT. OUR EXPORT-ORIENTED ECONOMY MAKES US ACUTELY AWARE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING INFORMED ON AND ABLE TO MEET PRODUCT STANDARD REQUIREMENTS IN OUR OVERSEAS MARKETS.
+ITS COMPARATIVE LACK OF INVOLVEMENT OTHERWISE HAS BEEN A REFLECTION OF OUR BASIC PHILOSOPHY, WHICH IS THAT GOVERNMENT INVOLVES ITSELF IN THE PROVISION OF INDUSTRIAL SUPPORT FACILITIES ONLY WHEN A CASE HAS BEEN MADE TO SHOW THAT THE ECONOMY REQUIRES SUCH FACILITIES AND THAT THE PRIVATE SECTOR CANNOT. OR IS UNLIKELY TO BE ABLE TO, PROVIDE THEM AS EFFICIENTLY AND CONVENIENTLY AS GOVERNMENT,+ HE SAID, QUOTING THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPORT.
YOUNG MUSICIANS GET INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE
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YOUNG MUSICIANS FROM HONG KONG WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO WIDEN THEIR HORIZON WHEN THEY GO ON AN OVERSEAS TOUR THIS SUMMER.
ANNOUNCING DETAILS OF THE TOUR TODAY, THE RECENTLY APPOINTED COMMISSIONER FOR RECREATION AND CULTURE, MR BARRIE WIGGHAM, EXPLAINED THAT HONG KONG'S YOUTH ORCHESTRAS HAD BEEN INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FIRST COMMONWEALTH FILM AND TELEVISION FESTIVAL AND ARTS FESTIVAL, IN CYPRUS, AS WELL AS THE ISRAEL ARTS FESTIVAL IN AUGUST THIS YEAR.
+THIS WILL BE A MARVELLOUS EXPERIENCE FOR OUR YOUNG MUSICIANS, + COMMENTED MR WIGGHAM. +THEY WILL BE PERFORMING AGAINST A HIGHLY INTERNATIONAL BACKGROUND IN BOTH FESTIVALS AND WILL DO MUCH TO PROJECT THE IMAGE OF HONG KONG AS A CULTURAL CENTRE FOR THE FAR EAST. +
APART FROM GIVING PERFORMANCES IN THE TWO FESTIVALS. THE YOUNG MUSICIANS WILL ALSO ATTEND AN INTENSIVE TRAINING COURSE IN ISRAEL, ARRANGED BY THE WORLD-RENOWNED VIOLINIST ISAAC STERN. ALEXANDER SCHNEIDER WILL BE THE COURSE DIRECTOR.
/+ IN MANT