XN000022-1973-04-26 — Page 16

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Thursday, April 26, 1973

Mr. Herries said that it had been suggested by the Hong Kong branch

of the Association that with Britain in the Common Market "we should spread

our wings to the Continent".

While it was unlikely that the Association would form branches there,

Mr. Herries together with the Secretary, Mr. Ted Bush, planned to visit

several countries in Europe shortly to see what liaison, if any, was necessary

and could be arranged.

Mr. Herries paid tribute to Mr. Geffrey Hamm and Sir John Keswick

who were retiring from the committee of the Hong Kong Association, and to

Sir Sik-nin Chau who recently retired as chairman of the Association's Hong

Kong branch. He proposed that they should all be made honorary life members

of the Hong Kong Association.

Adoption of the Chairman's report was proposed by Mr. Ernest Grimwood,

European regional representative of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council,

who will shortly be taking up a new post as the Trade Development Council

representative in New York.

"It says much for the resilience ard drive of Hong Kong," said

Mr. Grimwood, "that it has achieved so much, despite the artificial restrictions

imposed against its access to world markets, and built and developed the

standard of living for all.

"But Hong Kong can, and does, take advantage of ill winds. It has

traded up and achieved a high quality status that might otherwise have taken

much longer to reach. I believe very firmly that but for the interest and

activity shown by the Hong Kong Association access to the U.K. market would

have been even more onerous.

Release time: 7.30 p.m.

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