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TUESDAY, MAY 20, 1980

THE 'TRANSPORTATION' SECTOR DID MUCH BETTER IN THE FIRST QUARTER THAN IT HAD EXPECTED, AND EXPECTS THE FAVOURABLE BUSINESS TREND TO CONTINUE. BANKS' AND 'MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS SERVICES' SHOULD ALSO CONTINUE WITH THEIR FAVOURABLE TRENDS.

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT POINTED OUT THAT THE DATA, OBTAINED IN THE SURVEY WITH A MINIMUM TIME LAG, WERE BASICALLY INTENDED TO FACILITATE A QUICK ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT ECONOMIC SITUATION IN HONG KONG.

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”.

+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, HE STRESSED.

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 ORGANIZATIONS.

MAIN SHA TIN TOWN CENTRE SITE TO BE TENDERED

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THE LAND ON WHICH A LARGE PART OF THE COMMERCIAL AREA OF SHA TIN TOWN CENTRE WILL BE BUILT IS TO BE OFFERED BY TENDER TO HOLDERS OF LAND EXCHANGE ENTITLEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION.

THE TENDER WILL BE HELD IN SEPTEMBER.

THE 25 000 SQUARE METRE SITE IS BETWEEN THE RAILWAY STATION AND THE SHING MUN RIVER.

DEVELOPMENT WILL FORM THE CORE OF THE TOWN CENTRE IN THE SHAPE OF A COMMERCIAL COMPLEX WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BECOME THE REGIONAL SHOPPING AND CULTURAL CENTRE FOR THE EASTERN PART OF THE NEW TERRITORIES.

THE COMPLEX WILL BE AT THE HUB OF THE TRANSPORT INTERCHANGE IN SHA TIN, LINKED ON TWO LEVELS TO THE RAILWAY STATION, WHICH IS CURRENTLY UNDER RE-CONSTRUCTION.

IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 400 000 PEOPLE WILL PASS THROUGH THE INTERCHANGE EACH DAY AS THE NEW TOWN, WHICH WILL HAVE A POPULATION OF 750 000, IS COMPLETED BY THE END OF THE DECADE.

/INCLUDED IN

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