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FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 1985
+ THE DEPARTMENT NOW HAS PLANS TO UPDATE AND IMPROVE ITS PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY AND IN PARTICULAR TO ARRANGE FOR CHINESE LANGUAGE TYPESETTING, TO BE COMPUTERISED. I AM SURE THAT WHEN COMPLETED THESE MEASURES WILL GREATLY ENHANCE THE DEPARTMENT'S ABILITY TO COPE EVEN MORE EFFICIENTLY WITH THE DEMANDS ON THE IR SERVICE, SIR EDWARD SAID.
THE NEED FOR NEW PREMISES WAS RECOGNISED SEVERAL YEARS AGO, AND ITS COMPLETION WOULD PROVIDE STAFF WITH BETTER WORKING CONDITIONS AND ENABLE THE DEPARTMENT TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE ITS SERVICE.
IN HIS SPEECH WELCOMING THE GOVERNOR, THE GOVERNMENT PRINTER, MR HARRIS MYERS, SAID THAT SINCE THE CREATION OF THE DEPARTMENT IN 1952 IT HAD BEEN CHARGED WITH PRODUCING ALL THE PRINTING REQUIRED BY GOVERNMENT WITH TWO NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS - POSTAGE STAMPS AND BANK NOTES.
HE SAID THAT AS A MEASURE OF OPERATING EFFICIENCY, THE DEPARTMENT HAD EXPANDED ITS STAFF FROM 121 IN 1952 TO THE PRESENT 383.
+THE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF TONNES OF MATERIALS PROCESSED EACH YEAR HAS BEEN REMARKABLE, GROWING FROM 190 TONNES IN 1952 TO OVER 4 600 LAST YEAR, WITH AN INCREDIBLE INCREASE IN OUTPUT IN THE LAST TWO YEARS OF 41 PER CENT PER PERSON EMPLOYED, + MR MYERS SAID.
THE NEW PREMISES, MR MYERS SAID, WAS DECIDED UPON OVER 30 OTHER SITES AT A TIME WHEN THE QUESTION OF WHETHER GOVERNMENT SHOULD RETAIN ITS OWN PRINTING FACILITY WAS BEING SERIOUSLY EXAMINED.
+GOVERNMENT WAS HOWEVER COMPLETELY SATISFIED WITH THE MERITS OF HAVING CONTROL OF ITS OWN PRINTING FACILITIES, A DECISION DEMONSTRABLY PROVED RIGHT DURING THE PAST 12 MONTHS WHEN THE DEPARTMENT MADE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE HISTORIC EVENTS WHICH TOOK PLACE IN HONG KONG, HE SAID.
THE NEW PREMISES WOULD NOT ONLY BRING THE WHOLE DEPARTMENT TOGETHER WITH ITS SUPPORTING SERVICES, WHICH HAD BEEN SEPARATED EARLIER BY A LACK OF SPACE, BUT WOULD PROVIDE ROOM TO PRODUCE MORE EFFICIENTLY THE EVER-CHANGING AND GROWING NEEDS OF GOVERNMENT.
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