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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1975
ON THE SUGGESTION THAT THE D.C. AND I. SHOULD BE SPLIT INTO TWO NEW DEPARTMENTS, A TEXTILES DEPARTMENT AND AN OTHER INDUSTRIES DEPARTMENT, TO BE CO-ORDINATED BY A SECRETARY FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY, MR. JORDAN SAID HE RECALLED THAT A SIMILAR SUGGESTION WAS MADE IN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL A YEAR AGO BY MR. Q.W. LEE AND SUPPORTED BY OTHER MEMBERS BUT HE POINTED OUT THAT THIS WAS MORE A QUESTION FOR THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, AS HEAD OF THE CIVIL SERVICE.
BUT THERE WAS ONE ASPECT OF MR. TIEN'S PROPOSALS ON WHICH MR. JORDAN SAID HE DISAGREED WITH MR. TIEN. THIS CONCERNED THE DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITIES BETWEEN HIS TWO PROPOSED DEPARTMENTS.
+I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD HAVE ONE POLICY AND SERVICE FOR AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY AND A DIFFERENT ONE FOR OTHER INDUSTRIES, AND THIS WOULD UNAVOIDABLY BE THE WAY THINGS WOULD TEND TO GO,+ MR. JORDAN WARNED.
REFERRING TO DR. THE HON. S.Y. CHUNG'S EXPRESSED HOPE THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD EXERT EVERY EFFORT TO REMOVE ANY DISCRIMINATORY RESTRICTIONS ON HONG KONG'S TRADE, MR. JORDAN SAID +WE WILL DO WHAT WE CAN BUT WE HAVE NOT THE RESOURCES TO DO ALL OF IT. FINANCIAL STRINGENCY MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE. AS IT IS, WE ARE PRETTY SEVERELY STRETCHED TO DEAL WITH ALL THE MATTERS THAT DEMAND ATTENTION THOSE THAT CAN WAIT HAVE TO DO SO.+
IN THE FIELD OF GENERALISED SCHEMES OF PREFERENCES, FOR EXAMPLE, MR. JORDAN POINTED OUT THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAD CONCENTRATED ITS EFFORTS ON SEEKING IMPROVEMENT IN HONG KONG'S POSITION IN THE EEC AND JAPANESE SCHEMES AND ON SEEKING INCLUSION IN THE US SCHEME,
FIVE OTHER COUNTRIES, HE ADDED, OPERATED SCHEMES FROM WHICH HONG KONG WAS WHOLLY OR PARTLY EXCLUDED AND THE DEPARTMENT HAD BEEN ABLE TO DO VERY LITTLE ABOUT THIS IN THE PAST YEAR.
ON TEXTILES QUOTAS, MR. JORDAN SAID +OUR QUOTA SYSTEM IS NOT PERFECT, WE KNOW, AND WE HAVE LONG INTENDED TO MAKE A THOROUGH-GOING REVIEW OF IT, BUT HAVE BEEN PREVENTED BY THE PRESSURE OF IMMEDIATE NEEDS TO KEEP THE SYSTEM WORKING. NEVERTHELESS WE HOPE OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS TO COMPLETE THIS REVIEW, AND WE ARE GIVING EVERYONE WHO IS INTERESTED THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT THEIR VIEWS TO US.+
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