THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1980
PRICES
THE REPORT INDICATES THAT IMPORT PRICES STARTED TO INCREASE AGAIN IN THE THIRD QUARTER IN ALMOST ALL CATEGORIES OF IMPORTS.
WHILE MOVEMENTS OF IMPORT PRICES OF CONSUMER GOODS WILL TAKE TIME TO WORK THROUGH TO THE RETAIL LEVEL, THOSE OF FOODSTUFFS SEEM ALREADY TO HAVE BEEN REFLECTED IN RECENT MOVEMENTS IN THE CONSUMER PRICE INDICES.
THERE WAS A FOUR PER CENT INCREASE ON CONSUMER PRICES DURING THE THIRD QUARTER AND BY SEPTEMBER, CONSUMER PRICES WERE 14 PER CENT HIGHER THAN IN THE SAME MONTH LAST YEAR.
COMMENTS
COMMENTING ON THE REPORT, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID IT WAS ENCOURAGING TO SEE THAT ECONOMIC GROWTH WAS STILL EXPORT-LED AND THAT THERE WAS A REASONABLE DEGREE OF ECONOMIC STABILITY.
BUT IT WOULD BE UNREALISTIC TO EXPECT HONG KONG TO BE UNAFFECTED BY THE PRESENT UNCERTAIN WORLD ECONOMIC PROSPECTS AND INCREASING WORLD PRICES, HE SAID.
HE POINTED OUT THAT THE GROWTH RATE OF HONG KONG'S DOMESTIC EXPORTS WAS SLOWING DOWN AND THAT PRICES WERE STILL INCREASING. NEVERTHELESS, HE HAD NO DOUBT THAT THE HONG KONG ECONOMY WAS ADJUSTING FAVOURABLY TO THE CHANGING ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES.
THE THIRD QUARTER ECONOMIC REPORT 1980 AT $8 A COPY WILL BE ON SALE FROM SATURDAY (NOVEMBER 29) AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE IN THE GPO BUILDING AT CONNAUGHT PLACE.
TARGET OF SUBSIDISED FORM IV PLACES BEING ACHIEVED
******
THE PROVISION OF SUBSIDISED FORM IV PLACES FOR 60 PER CENT OF THE 15-YEAR-OLD AGE GROUP WILL BE ACHIEVED IN 1982.
THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, SAID THIS TODAY AT THE OPENING OF CHENG CHEK CHEE SECONDARY SCHOOL IN SAI KUNG.
+ALL CHILDREN NOW HAVE NINE YEARS OF FREE EDUCATION, HE SAID. +THE NEXT TARGET IS THE PROVISION OF SUBSIDISED FORM IV PLACES FOR 60 PER CENT
15-YEAR-OLD AGE GROUP.
+ALREADY, THIS YEAR HA
PLACES OVER LAST YEAR, BRING TARGET AND, DESPITE THE UNEX- PLACES WHICH IMMIGRATION HAS ACHIEVED IN 1982.+
PER CENT INCREASE IN .- TWO PER CENT OF THE INCREASE IN DEMAND FOR
ED, FULL PROVISION WILL BE
THE GOVERNOR SAID IN PRIMARY EDUCATION THE PROBLEM WAS NOT SO MUCH A NEED FOR QUANTITY AS FOR QUALIT.
/+THE VERY