XN000022-1978-12-21 — Page 4

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1978

+BASICALLY, HE SAID, THE FIVE DISTRICT WALKS WILL BE HELD ON THREE SUNDAYS, ON JANUARY 7 AND 14 AND FEBRUARY 4 NEXT YEAR.+

TWO DISTRICT WALKS - ONE FOR GROUP PARTICIPATION AND THE OTHER YOUTHS AND SCHOOL CHILDREN WILL BE HELD IN TSUEN WAN ON JANUARY 7 AND 14 IN THE VICINITY OF THE SHING MUN RESERVOIR, EACH ACCOMMODATING A MAXIMUM OF 10,000 PEOPLE.

THE ROUTE TAKES IN 10 MILES, STARTS AND FINISHES AT THE LEI MUK SHUE ESTATE.

MR. ILLINGWORTH ALSO SAID ANOTHER DISTRICT WALK WITH THE SAME NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS WILL TAKE PLACE IN TAI PO ON JANUARY 7.

IT COVERS AN 11-MILE ROUTE STARTING AND ENDING AT FUNG KAI SECONDARY SCHOOL. +AS PART OF THE ROUTE IS QUITE ROUGH, TWO SHORTER PATHS ARE PLANNED TO CATER FOR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS,+ HE ADDED.

THE FOURTH WALK WILL BE STAGED IN YUEN LONG-TUEN MUN ON JANUARY 14, HE SAID. THE ROUTE FROM SHEUNG TSUEN PLAYGROUND TO THE TAI LAM CHUNG CUSTOMS AND EXCISE TRAINING SCHOOL IS 13 MILES LONG BUT CAN ONLY TAKE UP TO 5,000 WALKERS.

THE PAT SIN RANGE WALK ORGANISING COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN,

MR. STEPHEN WONG ALSO TOLD THE CONFERENCE THAT THE DISTRICT WALK CONCEPT WAS AN ENTIRELY NEW ATTEMPT TO INVOLVE LOCAL PEOPLE OF INDIVIDUAL DISTRICTS TO ENHANCE THE SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION.

+ THE AIM OF THE FIVE DISTRICT WALKS IS TO RAISE A TOTAL OF $1.2 MILLION, HE SAID.

+WITH THE FULL AND GENEROUS SUPPORT OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AND RURAL LEADERS, WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO EXCEED OUR PRIMARY TARGET. +

PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR NOVEMBER 1978

******

+

PROVISIONAL FIGURES, RELEASED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (THURSDAY), SHOWED THAT HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL MERCHANDISE TRADE DURING NOVEMBER, 1978, TOTALLED $10,600 MILLION.

THE TOTAL COMPRISED DOMESTIC EXPORTS VALUED AT $3,797 MILLION, IMPORTS $6,420 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS $1,383 MILLION.

THE SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER FIGURES (LATEST THREE MONTHS) SHOWED INCREASES, BY VALUE, COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1977, OF 26.8 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, 42.0 PER CENT FOR IMPORTS AND 47.6 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS.

CENT.

DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER ROSE BY 31.5 PER

COMPARED WITH THE SAME MONTH LAST YEAR, OF $742 MILLION OR 24.3 PER CENT IN EXPORTS, 48.4 PER CENT IN IMPORTS AND $515 MILLION OR RE-EXPORTS WERE RECORDED.

INCREASES, BY VALUE, $2,095 MILLION OR 59.3 PER CENT IN

/THE SHORT