THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1986
DUKE RETURNS FOR STOPOVER *****
THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH, WHO REVISITED CHINA LAST WEEK IN HIS CAPACITY AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD WILDLIFE FUND. RETURNED TO HONG KONG THIS (THURSDAY) EVENING FOR A STOPOVER.
EARLIER THIS MONTH, THE QUEEN AND THE DUKE HAD BEEN ON AN OFFICIAL TOUR OF FOUR CITIES IN CHINA BEFORE VISITING HONG KONG.
AFTER THE QUEEN RETURNED HOME TO BRITAIN, THE DUKE FLEW BACK TO CHINA FOR A SIX-DAY VISIT.
MEETING HIM AT THE AIRPORT WERE THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE, THE CHIEF JUSTICE, SIR DENYS ROBERTS, THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, AND THE COMMANDER BRITISH FORCES, MAJOR GENERAL ANTHONY BOAM.
SENIOR MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, MR OSWALD CHEUNG, SENIOR MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, MİSS LYDIA DUNN, THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE NEW CHINA NEWS AGENCY, MR ZHENG HUA, THE AIDE-DE-CAMP TO THE GOVERNOR, MR PAUL COLLIER, AND THE DIRECTOR OF PROTOCOL, SIR MARK HEATH, WERE ALSO THERE TO GREET HIM.
THE DUKE WILL BE LEAVING HONG KONG ON SATURDAY (NOVEMBER 1) MORNING FOR BANGKOK.
INCREASE IN FLAT SALE, PURCHASE AGREEMENTS
*****
THE LAND OFFICE REGISTERED A TOTAL OF 29 448 SALE AND PURCHASE AGREEMENTS CONCERNING FLATS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN THE URBAN AREA DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE 1986-87 FINANCIAL YEAR, THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, MR NOEL GLEESON, SAID TODAY.
REPORTING THE DEPARTMENT'S FIGURES FOR PRIVATE SECTOR PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS IN THE URBAN AREA (HONG KONG ISLAND, KOWLOON AND NEW KOWLOON) DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE FINANCIAL YEAR, MR GLEESON SAID SUCH AGREEMENTS, THE GREAT MAJORITY OF THEM IN UNCOMPLETED BUILDINGS, INCREASED BY 1.8 PER CENT AND 18.1 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY COMPARED WITH THE FIRST AND SECOND HALVES OF THE LAND FINANCIAL YEAR.
THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF CONSIDERATIONS IN THESE AGREEMENTS WAS $18.452 BILLION. THIS REPRESENTED AN INCREASE OF 22.9 PER CENT FROM $15.017 BILLION IN THE FIRST HALF OF 1985-86, AND A DECREASE OF 1.1 PER CENT FROM $18.649 BILLION IN THE SECOND HALF.
/DURING THE