XN000022-1976-06-08 — Page 3

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TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 1976

LOSS OF JOBS IN TANNERIES DUE TO INACTION ON PART OF OWNERS ******

RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY LOSS OF JOBS WHICH MAY OCCUR WHEN THE SHEUNG SHUI TANNERIES ARE REMOVED AT THE END OF NEXT MONTH (JULY) LIES WITH THE OWNERS, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION SAID TODAY.

THE TANNERS, HE ADDED, WERE TOLD AS LONG AGO AS FOUR YEARS THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE THEIR PRESENT LOCATION TO GO TO KWAI CHUNG AND HAVE BEEN BUYING LAND ON INSTALMENTS IN THE OFFENSIVE TRADES AREA THERE FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS.

+HOWEVER, THEY HAVE DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT DEVELOPING THEIR SITES, ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE KNOWN SINCE DECEMBER, 1973, THAT THE FINAL DATE FOR REMOVAL WOULD BE JULY 31, 1976, HE SAID.

THE SPOKESMAN ADDED: +RESPONSIBILITY FOR JOBS WHICH ARE LOST WHEN THE TANNERIES ARE CLOSED LIES, THEREFORE, WITH THE OWNERS THROUGH THEIR INACTION.+

HOWEVER, HE SAID, THE LOCAL EMPLOYMENT SERVICE OF THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT WOULD BE SETTING UP AN OFFICE IN THE SHEUNG SHUI AREA TO REGISTER WORKERS REQUIRING ASSISTANCE TO SEEK ALTERNATIVE EMPLOYMENT.

COMMENTING ON RECENT CLAIMS THAT THOUSANDS OF JOBS WOULD BE LOST AS A RESULT OF THE REMOVAL OF THE TANNERIES, THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THEY EMPLOYED A MAXIMUM 1,000 WORKERS AND POINTED OUT THAT POSSIBLY NONE OF THEM WOULD HAVE HAD TO BE MADE REDUNDANT HAD THE TANNERY OPERATORS KEPT TTHEIR PART OF THE BARGAIN AND

RE-ESTABLISHED THEIR FACTORIES AT KWAI CHUNG AS THEY HAD AGREED TO DO MORE THAN THREE YEARS AGO.

+WHEN THE TANNERY OWNERS WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FINAL DATE FOR THEIR REMOVAL, IT WAS MADE CLEAR TO THEM AT THE TIME THAT CONTINUED OPERATION AT SHEUNG SHUI WOULD ONLY BE TOLERATED ON THE STRICT UNDERSTANDING THAT THEY WOULD EVENTUALLY GO TO KWA! CHUNG,+ HE DECLARED.

AS FOR ALLEGATIONS THAT JOBS WOULD BE LOST IN GLOVE MAKING FACTORIES THROUGH DISRUPTION OF SUPPLIES FROM SHEUNG SHUI, THE SPOKESMAN SAID: +WE WROTE SOME TIME AGO TO ALL SUCH FACTORIES IN HONG KONG SUGGESTING THAT, IN VIEW OF THE IMPENDING REMOVAL OF THE SHEUNG SHUI TANNERIES, THEY SHOULD MAKE ARRANGEMENTS TO OBTAIN THEIR SUPPLIES ELSEWHERE. ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF SUPPLY ARE AVAILABLE AND ARE, IN FACT, BEING WIDELY USED BY GLOVE MAKING FACTORIES ALREADY. THESE WOULD AT LEAST TIDE THEM OVER UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE SHEUNG SHUI TANNERIES RE-COMMENCE THE IR OPERATIONS AT KWAI CHUNG. PROVIDED THEY DO THIS, THERE IS NO REASONS FOR ANY REDUNDANCIES TO OCCUR IN THE GLOVĚ MAKING INDUSTRY.+

THE SPOKESMAN

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