XN000022-1974-04-19 — Page 9

ERIDAY, APRIL 19, 1974

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+ALREADY ROUTE 13 IS CARRYING AN AVERAGE OF 6,000 PASSENGERS A DAY WHICH IS FAR MORE THAN WE ANTICIPATED AND A MOST ENCOURAGING START TO THE SERVICE..... AND MOST OF THE PEOPLE ARE NEW BUS PASSENGERS.+

MR. REES SAID SOME PASSENGERS WERE COMPLAINING THAT IT WAS TAKING THEM LONGER TO GET HOME BECAUSE THE BUSES WERE FORCED TO MAKE A BIG DETOUR. BUT HE STRESSED THAT THE JOURNEY TIMES WERE MORE THAN OFFSET BY THE INCREASED FREQUENCY AND THE REDUCED WAITING TIME AT BUS STUPS.

BUS DRIVERS HAVE ALSO GENERALLY WELCOMED THE NEW SCHEME; THEY HAVE POINTED OUT THAT DRIVING CONDITIONS HAVE IMPROVED CONSIDERABLY. THERE IS LESS OF A STRAIN BECAUSE NOW THEY HAVE AN UNINTERRUPTED DRIVE WHEREAS BEFORE THEY HAD TO CONTEND. WITH OTHER VEHICLES STOPPING AND STARTING.

MARCH G.C.P.1. UP FOUR POINTS

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THE GENERAL CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR MARCH 1974 WAS 187, FOUR POINTS COR 2.2 PER CENT) HIGHER THAN THAT FOR THE PREVIOUS MONTH.

THIS WAS DUE MAINLY TO AN INCREASE OF FOUR POINTS IN THE INDEX FOR FOODSTUFFS, ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THE INDEX FOR FUEL AND LIGHT ADVANCED BY 20 POINTS WHILE THAT FOR MISCELLANEOUS GOODS ADVANCED BY 14 POINTS.

AN INCREASE OF 10 POINTS WAS RECORDED IN THE INDEX FOR ALCOHOLIC DRINK AND TOBACCO WHILE AN INCREASE OF 3 POINTS WAS RECORDED IN THE INDEX FOR TRANSPORT AND VEHICLES.

RISES OF 1 POINT EACH WERE RECORDED IN THE INDEX FOR CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR AND THE INDEX FOR DURABLE GOODS. MOVEMENTS IN THE INDEXES FOR OTHER SECTIONS OF COMMODITY AND SERVICES WERE INSIGNIFICANT.

COMPARED WITH THE PREVIOUS MONTH, THERE WERE INCREASES IN THE AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES OF RICE AND FRESH VEGETABLES. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES OF SALT WATER FISH AND POULTRY DROPPED.

AS TO NON-FOOD ITEMS, THE INCREASE IN THE INDEX FOR FUEL AND LIGHT WAS ATTRIBUTABLE TO INCREASED CHARGES FOR ELECTRICITY AND THE FULL EFFECT OF THE UPWARD REVISION IN THE PRICES OF KEROSENE AND LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS AT THE END OF FEBRUARY.

FOLLOWING AN INCREASE IN DUTIES, THE PRICES OF ALCOHOLIC DRINK AND TOBACCO WERE RAISED.

THE RISE IN THE INDEX FOR MISCELLANEOUS GOODS WAS MAINLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO HIGHER PRICES FOR CHINESE-LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS.

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