XN000022-1973-12-11 — Page 27

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Tuesday, December 11, 1973

also that the special educational project, the C.M.A. Prevocational School,

is now going forward and should be ready for classes in 1975. Your Association

has shown great initiative and foresight in promoting and helping to

finance this,

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One of the highlights of this year's exhibition, which you also

mentioned Dr. Chuang, is Hong Kong's first indeed, I am told, South-

East Asia's first - major Industrial Safety Exhibition, which is being

held in the exhibition pavilion to my left. Both the Government and

the private sector are becoming increasingly alarmed at the huge toll

each year of accidents at work, which are now happening at the rate of

one every seven or eight minutes throughout the day twice the road accident

injury rate. Last year 296 people were killed and nearly 30,000 injured

at work. Virtually every one of these accidents could have been avoided

by proper safety precautions. I am particularly pleased that this safety

exhibition represents a joint effort by industry, commerce and the Government,

because I am sure that only by such a combined attack will this terrible toll

in human lives and suffering be reduced.

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Dr. Chuang, Ladies and gentlemen, I congratulate you on this Exhibition, and I wish it all success. I am sure its success will be just as bright if, against tradition, I do not switch on the lights while there is still daylight.

I now have much pleasure in declaring open this 31st Exhibition of

Hong Kong products.