THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1984
BIG RUSH FOR COPIES OF WHITE PAPER
******
THE RUSH HAS BEEN ON FOR COPIES OF THE WHITE PAPER ON HONG KONG'S FUTURE SINCE THE DOCUMENT WAS RELEASED AT 7 PM YESTERDAY (WEDNESDAY)
BY NOON TODAY, ABOUT 627 000 COPIES IN CHINESE AND OVER 200 000 COPIES IN ENGLISH HAD BEEN DELIVERED TO THE GIS OUTLETS, DISTRICT OFFICES AND OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS TO MEET AN UNEXPECTEDLY HIGH DEMAND.
COMING UNDER THE HEAVIEST PRESSURE WAS THE GIS HEADQUARTERS IN BEACONSFIELD HOUSE WHERE THE QUEUE FOR MOST OF THIS MORNING STRETCHED FROM THE COUNTER ON THE FOURTH FLOOR TO A POINT ON QUEEN'S ROAD OPPOSITE THE CHARTERED BANK. THIS IS THE ONLY OUTLET THAT HAS OPERATED ROUND THE CLOCK, AND IT WILL STAY OPEN THROUGHOUT TONIGHT.
SO FAR ONE MILLION COPIES IN CHINESE AND 250 000 COPIES IN ENGLISH HAVE BEEN PRINTED BY THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING DEPARTMENT WHICH HAS BEEN WORKING ROUND THE CLOCK SINCE MONDAY.
+IN VIEW OF THE HEAVY DEMAND, PARTICULARLY FOR ENGLISH COPIES, WE HAVE ORDERED AN ADDITIONAL PRINT RUN OF 300 000 CHINESE COPIES AND 550 000 ENGLISH COPIES.
+AS THE GOVERNMENT PRINTER HAS BEEN WORKING FLAT OUT, IT WILL TAKE AT LEAST TWO DAYS TO FULFIL THIS ORDER, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID.
DUE TO THE OVERWHELMING DEMAND, SUPPLIES IN DISTRICT OFFICES WERE EXHAUSTED WITHIN 90 MINUTES OF PUBLICATION. BUT STUCKS THERE WERE REPLENISHED IN TIME FOR DISTRIBUTION TO START AGAIN THIS MORNING. BUT BY THIS AFTERNOON, MOST DISTRICT OFFICES HAD AGAIN EXHAUSTED THEIR SUPPLIES.
FROM TOMORROW (FRIDAY), THE WHITE PAPER WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE DURING OFFICE HOURS AT POLICE STATIONS, POST OFFICES AND HOUSING ESTATE OFFICES.
+HOWEVER, OWING TO EXCEPTIONAL DEMAND, IT WILL BE NECESSARY TO DELAY THE PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED EARLIER FOR A GRADUAL EXPANSION OF DISTRIBUTION OUTLETS,+ THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
ADDITIONAL CENTRES, SUCH AS IMMIGRATION, LABOUR AND TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT COUNTERS, WILL NOT BE DISTRIBUTING COPIES UNTIL SOME TIME NEXT WEEK.
ORGANISATIONS WISHING TO OBTAIN MORE THAN FIVE COPIES OF THE WHITE PAPER CAN COLLECT THEM AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS STORE, 665 KING'S ROAD, NORTH POINT DURING OFFICE HOURS.
A HOTLINE, NO 5-250025, HAS BEEN INSTALLED TO ADVISE ON DISTRIBUTION OUTLETS.
/2