XN000022-1975-10-23 — Page 14

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1975

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CALL FOR RE-ORGANISATION OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT

X X X X X X X

THE HON. FRANCIS TIEN TODAY CALLED FOR A RE-ORGANISATION OF THE COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT AND FOR THE DIRECTOR'S POST TO BE UPGRADED TO SECRETARY LEVEL SO AS TO KEEP HONG KONG ABREAST OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS IN TRADE.

WITH THE INCREASING INVOLVEMENT OF OVERSEAS GOVERNMENTS IN TRADE MATTERS AND THE GROWING COMPLEXITIES IN TRADE RELATIONS, THE GOVERNMENT WOULD INEVITABLY HAVE TO BECOME MORE INVOLVED AND THE TIME HAD COME TO GIVE SOME RECOGNITION OF THE GROWING RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT, HE

SAID.

MR. TIEN SUGGESTED THAT THE DEPARTMENT SHOULD BE SPLIT INTO NEW DEPARTMENTS ONE SOLELY CONCERNED WITH TEXTILES AND THE OTHER FOR INDUSTRIAL AND TRADE POLICY FOR ALL OTHER INDUSTRY. THEY WOULD BE CO-ORDINATED BY HIS PROPOSED SECRETARY FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY.

+THIS KIND OF RE-ORGANISATION WOULD ACHIEVE THE DESIRABLE OBJECTIVE OF HAVING INDUSTRIAL AND TRADE POLICIES DEALT WITH TOGETHER, + HE SAID,

HE NOTED THAT TEXTILES MADE UP 50 PER CENT OF HONG KONG'S EXPORTS, AND HE FELT THAT A SEPARATE TEXTILES DEPARTMENT WAS NEEDED WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL MATTERS AFFECTING THE TEXTILE TRADE AND INDUSTRY COVERING INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC PROBLEMS THE NEGOTIATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS AND THEIR IMPLEMENTATION AND POLICING.

THE FUNDS TO IMPLEMENT SUCH A RE-ORGANISATION, HE SAID, COULD COME FROM INCREASED FEES FOR TEXTILE LICENCES, A SMALL CHARGE FOR THE ALLOCATION OF TEXTILE QUOTAS, OR A COMBINATION OF THESE AND OTHER SIMILAR FISCAL MEASURES.

FOR EXAMPLE, HE CALCULATED THAT IF ONE CENT WAS CHARGED FOR EACH EQUIVALENT SQUARE YARD OF TEXTILE QUOTA ISSUED, ABOUT $120 MILLION IN REVENUE COULD BE RAISED EACH YEAR.

RECALLING THE GOVERNOR'S REMARKS THAT HONG KONG TODAY HAD COMPLETE AUTONOMY TO DECIDE HOW BEST TO PROCEED INTERNATIONALLY AND BILATERALLY IN ITS OWN BEST TRADING INTEREST MR. TIEN SAID THE RIGHT TO DETERMINE WHAT WAS BEST FOR HONG KONG HAD A NUMBER OF IMPLICATIONS.

+ONE OF THEM IS THAT WE WILL BE EXPECTED INCREASINGLY TO LOOK AFTER OURSELVES IN MATTERS OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE. ANOTHER IS THAT CERTAIN EXTERNAL OBLIGATIONS, PREVIOUSLY ASSUMED EY THE UNITED KINGDOM ON OUR BEHALF, WILL INCREASINGLY DE PUT ON OUR OWN SHOULDERS,+

/HE ADDED