TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 1986
7
+IN THE INITITAL YEARS OF ITS OPERATION, THE COMPANY WILL FOCUS ON SUCH PRODUCTS AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND OFFICE EQUIPMENT, HE ADDED.
MR YEUNG STRESSED THAT GIFTS AND HOUSEWARE PRODUCTS FORMED A SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF HONG KONG'S MANUFACTURES.
+THE VALUE OF THEIR EXPORTS AMOUNTED TO NEARLY $32 800 MILLION IN 1985 OR 25 PER CENT OF HONG KONG'S DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN THAT YEAR.
+THE OUTPUT OF MANUFACTURING ACCOUNTED FOR ABOUT 21 PER CENT OF OUR GDP IN 1982, ABOUT 23 PER CENT IN 1983 AND NEARLY 25 PER CENT IN 1984, AND MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES EMPLOYED NEARLY 850 000 PEOPLE LAST YEAR, OR ABOUT 40 PER CENT OF THE LABOUR FORCE, HE SAID.
WHILE DOMESTIC EXPORTS PROBABLY ACCOUNTED FOR A LARGE PROPORTION OF TOTAL SALES, MR YEUNG POINTED OUT THAT INBOUND TOURISM ALSO MADE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION.
+IN 1985, 3.4 MILLION TOURISTS SPENT SOMETHING LIKE $14 300 MILLION HERE, OF WHICH NOT LESS THAN $10 000 MILLION WERE SPENT ON PURCHASES OF GOODS.
+WITHIN HONG KONG ITSELF THERE IS A LARGE AND GROWING MARKET FOR GIFTS AND HOUSEWARE, HE NOTED.
+THE VALUE OF PRIVATE CONSUMPTION OF SUCH PRODUCTS AS FURNITURE, FURNISHINGS AND HOUSEHOLD EQUIPMENT HAS GROWN FROM SOMETHING LIKE $1 900 MILLION IN 1975 TO $17 400 MILLION IN 1984, REPRESENTING AN AVERAGE ANNUAL GROWTH RATE OF 28 PER CENT IN MONEY TERMS OR 21 PER CENT IN REAL TERMS.+
WALK TO LAUNCH FUND-RAISING DRIVE
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A CHARITY WALK ON MAY 4 WILL LAUNCH A MAJOR FUND-RAISING CAMPAIGN BY THE KWUN TONG DISTRICT BOARD TO RAISE FUNDS FOR THE UNITED CHRISTIAN HOSPITAL EXTENSION PROJECT.
THE +WALK WITH OUR HEARTS+ EVENT WILL BE HELD AT THE SAU NGA ROAD PLAYGROUND IN SAU MAU PING AND WILL TAKE PARTICIPANTS ROUND A FOUR-KILOMETRE ROUTE CIRCLING THE UNITED CHRISTIAN HOSPITAL.
ANNOUNCING DETAILS OF THE YEAR-LONG CAMPAIGN TODAY (TUESDAY), THE CHAIRMAN OF THE FUND-RAISING ORGANISING COMMITTEE MR LAM HANG-FA!, WHO IS ALSO THE KWUN TONG DISTRICT BOARD CHAIRMAN, SAID A WIDE RANGE OF ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS WOULD BE ORGANISED BY THE DISTRICT BOARD TO RAISE $5 MILLION FOR THE HOSPITAL EXTENSION PROJECT.
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/+THIS IS