XN000022-1977-12-21 — Page 4

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1977

+THERE WERE ABOUT 45,000 SUCH FORMS, A LARGE NUMBER OF WHICH APPEARED TO BE FILLED IN AND SIGNED IN THE SAME HANDWRITING, AND ALL EXCEPT 240, WERE IN FAVOUR OF GMT +9 THROUGHOUT THE YEAR,+ MR. LI SAID.

HE POINTED OUT THAT A SMALL RANDOM SAMPLE OF 45 WAS SUBSEQUENTLY SELECTED FOR CHECKING AND ALL 45 PERSONS CONTACTED DISCLAIMED ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THE RETURN, AND IN FACT, TWO OF THEM DIED OVER SIX MONTHS AGO.+

+THE VALIDITY OF THESE RETURNS IS THEREFORE DOUBTFUL,+ MR. LI REMARKED.

OF THE REMAINING 6,000 RETURNS, REPRESENTING NEARLY 13,000 INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS, INCLUDING SOME LARGE ORGANISATIONS, SOME 65 PER CENT EXPRESSED A PREFERENCE FOR GMT +8 AS HONG KONG TIME THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

MR, LI SAID: THOUGH THE RETURNS TO GPO BOX 10,000 FAVOUR GMT +9 THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, I AM AFRAID WE CANNOT PUT TOO MUCH WEIGHT ON THIS SURVEY BECAUSE OF THE DOUBTS ON 45,000 PRINTED FORMS.+

TURNING TO THE REACTION FROM HEADS OF GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, HE SAID IT WAS MORE VARIED IN THE LIGHT OF THEIR DEPARTMENTAL OPERATIONS AND THEIR DEALINGS WITH DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE COMMUNITY.

+HOWEVER,+ HE SAID, THESE RETURNS ALSO SHOW A GENERAL PREFERENCE FOR GMT +8 THROUGHOUT THE YEAR - 50 PER CENT AS OPPOSED TO 38 PER CENT IN FAVOUR OF DUAL TIME AND 12 PER CENT IN FAVOUR OF GMT +9.+

TWO UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS, THE HON. JOHN BREMRIDGE AND THE HON. WONG LAM ALSO SPOKE IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTION.

MR. BREMRIDGE SAID HE WAS SATISFIED THAT THE LARGE MAJORITY OF HONG KONG'S CHINESE PREFERRED GMT +8.

+ THUS FIND NO DIFFICULTY IN SUPPORTING THEIR PREFERENCE, WHICH IN MY OPINION, HAS BEEN WELL ESTABLISHED.

+ I MUST ALSO NOTE THE ADVANTAGE TO MANY OF PRESENTING IN HONG KONG, THE SAME TIME THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AS THAT IN CANTON,+ HE SAID.

MR. WONG LAM SHARED MR. BREMRIDGE'S VIEW AND SAID: +AL THOUGH THERE HAS BEEN A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPOUNDED THE IR VIEWS, BOTH IN ENGLISH PRESS AND IN OTHER MEDIA, THAT GMT +9 SHOULD BE ADOPTED, I MUST SAY THAT FROM MY OWN PERSONAL CONTACTS WITH PEOPLE IN EVERY SECTOR OF THIS COMMUNITY, I HAVE GAINED THE IMPRESSION THE SILENT MAJORITY PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO SUCH PRACTICAL CONSIDERATION, SUCH AS THE MAINTENANCE OF LAW AND ORDER, AND WOULD ALSO PREFER GMT +8 AS THE TIME SYSTEM FOR HONG KONG.+

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