SATURDAY, AUGUST 18, 1984
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+THERE HAS BEEN CONSIDERABLE ADVERSE REACTION TO THE PROPOSED NEW REGULATIONS BOTH DOMESTICALLY IN THE USA AND AMONG OTHER COUNTRIES WHICH EXPORT TO THE USA. THUS OUR BILATERAL EFFORTS WITH THE USA ARE ONLY PART OF THE PICTURE: DEVELOPMENTS IN THE USA AND ELSEWHERE, AND IN A MULTILATERAL CONTEXT IN GENEVA, WILL ALSO AFFECT THE OUTCOME. IN THIS CONTEXT I CAN NOW REPORT THAT A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE TEXTILES COMMITTEE OF THE GATT WILL BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 4TH IN GENEVA. I WILL REPRESENT HONG KONG AT THAT MEETING.
+REGARDING OUR BILATERAL EFFORTS, DURING THE CONSULTATIONS IN WASHINGTON WE WILL RE-STATE HONG KONG'S POSITION THAT THE NEW US RULES ARE IN VIOLATION OF THE BILATERAL TEXTILES AGREEMENT AND ARE THEREFORE UNACCEPTABLE. WE SHALL ALSO OF COURSE LISTEN AND REACT TO ANYTHING THE US HAS TO SAY.+
RENT INCREASE NECESSARY TO COVER RISING COST
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AN INCREASE IN RENTS FROM SEPTEMBER 1 FOR DOMESTIC FLATS IN 38 POST-1973 ESTATES IS NECESSARY TO MEET RISING OPERATING EXPENSES AND COST OF MAINTAINING THE ESTATES, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE HOUSING AUTHORITY SAID TODAY.
+AND PART OF THE INCREASE WILL BE OFFSET BY THE NEW INCREASED RATES AS A RESULT OF THE GENERAL RATES REVALUATION. 1N THIS AND THE FOLLOWING FINANCIAL YEARS THE AUTHORITY WILL HAVE TO PAY AN ADDITIONAL RATE OF $39.8 MILLION FOR THESE FLATS UNDER REVIEW, HE SAID.
OF THE 104 686 FLATS AFFECTED, OVER 88 PER CENT WOULD HAVE THEIR RENTS INCREASED ONLY BETWEEN $51 AND $130 PER MONTH, HE SAID.
+EVEN AFTER THE REVIEW, THE NEW RENTS FOR THESE ESTATES WILL RANGE FROM $11 TO $15 PER SQUARE METRE, AND WILL STILL BE LOWER THAN THE $19 PER SQUARE METRE RENT LEVEL FOR FLATS IN NEW ESTATES.+
HE SAID THE ESTATES INVOLVED IN THE RECENT RENT REVIEW WERE AMONG THE BEST OF THE AUTHORITY'S ESTATES, WITH THEIR LIVING STANDARD AND FACILITIES COMPARABLE TO THOSE OF NEWLY COMPLETED ONES.
+FOR EXAMPLE AT ME TUNG ESTATE IN URBAN KOWLOON, THE NEW RENT FOR A FIVE-PERSON FLAT OF 24.3 SQUARE METRES, WHICH HAS SELF- CONTAINED FACILITIES AND A PRIVATE BALCONY, WILL ONLY BE $315.
+ALSO AT SHUN ON ESTATE, THE NEW RENT FOR A 24.5 SQUARE-METRE MODERN FLAT IS $345 PER MONTH.
+ THE EXISTING RENTS FOR THESE ESTATES ARE LOW. IT IS THEREFORE NOT REALISTIC TO JUDGE THE BIENNIAL INCREASE IN TERMS OF PERCENTAGE INCREASE, THE SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED.
/+THE MAIN