XN000022-1977-04-06 — Page 6

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 1977

5

GOVERNOR PRAISES HK PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE

ON ITS TENTH ANNIVERSARY

*******

ALTHOUGH HONG KONG'S INDUSTRY IS IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LEAGUE FROM THAT OF TEN YEARS AGO, ITS AWARENESS OF THE NEED FOR TECHNOLOGICAL AND MANAGERIAL IMPROVEMENT IS AS ACUTE TODAY AS IT EVER WAS+, THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, SAID TODAY.

+PERHAPS IN THIS LIES ITS SUCCESS.+

SIR MURRAY WAS SPEAKING AT A LUNCHEON MARKING THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE.

THE GOVERNOR SAID THE NEED +IS AS GREAT AS EVER+ FOR AN EFFECTIVE AND WELL-ORGANISED PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE WHICH HAD MATURED WITH THE INDUSTRY IT SERVED.

→THE DOUBTS WHICH WERE EXPRESSED IN THE EARLY DAYS AS TO WHETHER HONG KONG INDUSTRY WOULD MAKE USE OF TRAINING AND CONSULTANCY SERVICES HAVE LONG SINCE BEEN DISPELLED AND THE TECHNOLOGICAL FACILITIES WHICH THE CENTRE OFFERS TO INDUSTRY ARE GENERATING A GROWING DEMAND SO THAT THE CENTRE NOW EARNS 40 PER CENT OF ITS REVENUE, HE SAID.

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THE GOVERNOR'S SPEECH:-

+MR. CHEN, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

+ THE MERIT OF ANNIVERSARIES IS THAT THEY PROMPT US TO STOP FOR A MOMENT AND THINK. THINKING ABOUT THE HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE IS HIGHLY SATISFACTORY,

+ THE WORK ING PARTY WHICH LED TO ITS ESTABLISHMENT IN 1963 REFLECTED RECOGNITION THAT HONG KONG INDUSTRY HAD TO MAKE EFFECTIVE USE OF ITS ONLY MAJOR RESOURCE, THE SKILLS AND ADAPTABILITY OF ITS WORKFORCE, IN SUCH A WAY THAT REAL WAGES AND LIVING STANDARDS COULD RISE WITHOUT DAMAGE TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS OF ITS PRODUCTS.

+ IN THE EARLY SIXTIES HONG KONG BECAME CONSCIOUS OF THE GROWING MATURITY OF ITS INDUSTRY. THE INFANT ELECTRONICS

INDUSTRY WAS TAKING ITS FIRST TENTATIVE STEPS- ALREADY THE CALL TO DIVERSIFY OUT OF TEXTILES WAS BEING HEARD, AND THE FIRST PLANNED INDUSTRIAL AREA AT KWUN TONG WAS RISING FROM WHAT HAD BEEN A FEW YEARS EARLIER A SQUATTER VILLAGE AND A RUBBISH DUMP. ITS NEW FACTORY BUILDINGS WERE EVIDENCE OF THE DRIVE TO BROADEN THE TECHNOLOGICAL BASE, IMPROVE PRODUCTION AND KEEP UP WITH INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION.

+WHEN THE PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE OPENED ITS DOOR IN 1967 THE WORKFORCE WAS 417,000. TODAY IT IS OVER 700,000, EXPORTS OF OUR OWN MANUFACTURES IN 1966 STOOD AT $5,730 MILLION. IN 1976 THEY REACHED $32,629 MILLION.

/+BUT THOUGH

+