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THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 1989
"I AM GLAD TO SAY THAT THERE ARE NO SIGNS THAT THE REFORMS THAT ARE IN THE COURSE OF BEING IMPLEMENTED ARE HAVING ANY DETRIMENTAL EFFECT ON MARKET ACTIVITY.
"INDEED THE REVERSE SEEMS TO BE THE CASE. SINCE THE CRASH, AND IN FULL KNOWLEDGE OF THE CHANGES BEING MADE, NO LESS THAN THREE OF THE LARGEST U.S. INVESTMENT BANKS HAVE ACQUIRED SEATS ON THE HONG KONG STOCK EXCHANGE.
"TURNOVER HAS RETURNED TO LEVELS EXPERIENCED IN THE EARLY PART OF 1987 AND PRICES HAVE RISEN BY MORE THAN 50 PER CENT FROM THEIR POST-OCTOBER 1987 LOW.
"I FIRMLY BELIEVE THEREFORE THAT THE INGREDIENTS ARE NOW IN PLACE FOR HONG KONG TO CONTINUE TO THRIVE AS AN INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CENTRE IN THE YEARS AHEAD,
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HE SAID.
GRADING OF BEACH WATER QUALITY
THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT (EPD) TODAY (THURSDAY) ANNOUNCED GRADES ON THE BACTERIAL WATER QUALITY OF ALL BEACHES IN HONG KONG.
BATHING
THE PURPOSE OF THE GRADING SYSTEM IS TO INFORM SWIMMERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT THE STATE OF BACTERIAL POLLUTION AT VARIOUS BEACHES.
AN EPD SPOKESMAN SAID THAT STARTING THIS WEEK THE GRADING WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT BIWEEKLY INTERVALS DURING THE BATHING SEASON, TO COINCIDE WITH THE FREQUENCY AT WHICH BEACH WATERS ARE USUALLY SAMPLED.
THE GRADING IS BASED ON THE MOST RECENT BACTERIA DATA
OBTAINED BY THE EPD IN ITS ROUTINE MONITORING PROGRAMME.
THIS YEAR, FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE GRADING ALSO INCLUDES AN ESTIMATE OF THE RISK OF SUFFERING SOME MINOR SKIN OR GASTROINTESTINAL COMPLAINTS AS A RESULT OF SWIMMING AT A BEACH WHICH HAS SOME DEGREE OF POLLUTION.
THE ESTIMATE IS BASED ON A VERY LARGE BODY OF STATISTICAL INFORMATION GATHERED IN HONG KONG IN RECENT BATHING SEASONS.
THE GRADING OF SOME BEACHES MAY VARY DURING THE SUMMER. THIS REPRESENTS A NATURAL FLUCTUATION IN THE BACTERIAL QUALITY OF BATHING WATERS IN MOST CASES, AS RAIN AND TIDES BRING MORE OR LESS POLLUTION TO THE BEACHES.
/BATHING WATERS