IS
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN – SUPPLEMENT
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES BEACONSFIELD HOUSE, HONG KONG TEL: 5-233191
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1980
SPEECH BY THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, G.B.E., K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O.,
AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE HONG KONG TOY FAIR ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8
It is always a pleasure to come to the Hong Kong Toy and Gift
Fair and to find oneself amongst hard-nosed businessmen whose trade must
be the envy of every child.
The toy industry is one of Hong Kong's many success stories. It
is a shining example of the spirit of enterprise and adaptability which has
stood us in such good stead over the last two decades.
What started as an unlikely off-shoot of the plastics industry,
has progressed to become the third largest component of our export industry.
More than this, Hong Kong has become the world's leading toy exporter and
this is a position we intend to retain.
Our toy
Growth has been phenomenal and prospects are excellent.
exports increased more than four-fold in the last decade to over five
thousand million dollars last year.
Already this year (first seven months) the industry has scored
a further 24 per cent increase over the corresponding period last year.
A large part of this success comes from the close collaboration
between our toy manufacturers and the electronics industry. I have no doubt
that with increasing sophistication this relationship will become even
closer.
The play things we see here today are the products of an
imaginative and innovative industry and a skilled workforce fully aware
/of the