XN000022-1975-01-10 — Page 4

FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 1975

$980 M. DEFICIT RECORDED SO FAR

THIS FINANCIAL YEAR

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THE GOVERNMENT'S ACCOUNTS FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 1974 SHOW A DEFICIT OF $163 MILLION COMPARED WITH A DEFICIT OF $88 MILLION IN OCTOBER 1973.

THE RESULT IS AN ACCUMULATED DEFICIT OF $980 MILLION FOR THE FIRST SEVEN MONTHS OF THIS FINANCIAL YEAR. COMPARED WITH A DEFICIT OF $242 MILLION OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF THE PREVIOUS FINANCIAL YEAR.

A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THE DEFICIT WAS MAINLY DUE TO INCREASED EXPENDITURE ON PERSONAL EMOLUMENTS AND PUBLIC WORK PROJECTS.

TOTAL REVENUE FOR THE MONTH AT $376 MILLION WAS $29 MILLION MORE THAN IN OCTOBER 1973. TOTAL EXPENDITURE WAS $539 MILLION $104 MILLION MORE THAN OCTOBER 1973.

FIREMEN HONOURED FOR LONG SERVICE

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FORTY SIX SERVING AND RETIRED MEMBERS OF THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT, WITH MORE THAN 1,000 YEARS OF SERVICE BETWEEN THEM, WERE TODAY PRESENTED WITH COLONIAL FIRE BRIGADES LONG SERVICE MEDALS AND CLASPS BY THE DIRECTOR OF FIRE SERVICES, MR. HARRY WOOD.

THE RECIPIENTS WERE TWO DIVISIONAL OFFICERS, TWO ASSISTANT DIVISIONAL OFFICERS, A STATION OFFICER, 14 PRINCIPAL FIREMEN, A PRINCIPAL AMBULANCEMAN, 18 SENIOR FIREMEN, A SENIOR AMBULANCÉMAN AND SEVEN FIREMEN.

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A TOTAL OF 25 MEDALS AND 23 FIRST CLASPS WERE PRESENTED, OF THE RECIPIENTS BEING PRESENTED WITH BOTH DECORATIONS. LAST WEEK, THE DIRECTOR OF MANPOWER, MR. J.A. HIGGINS, WHO SERVED IN THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT BEFORE TAKING UP HIS PRESENT APPOINTMENT IN 1972, WAS PRESENTED WITH A LONG SERVICE MEDAL IN MR. WOOD'S OFFICE.

THE LONG SERVICE MEDAL IS AWARDED ON COMPLETION OF 18 YEARS' SERVICE AND A FIRST CLASP AFTER A FURTHER SEVEN YEARS' SERVICE.

THIS IS THE SECOND SUCH CEREMONY CONDUCTED BY MR. WOOD IN THE SPACE OF A WEEK. LAST FRIDAY (JANUARY 3), IN KOWLOON, HE PRESENTED 42 SERVING AND EX-MEMBERS OF THE DEPARTMENT WITH LONG SERVICE MEDALS AND CLASPS.

14.