XN000022-1979-09-18 — Page 6

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1979

DEMAND REMAINED ACTIVE FOR RE-EXPORTS OF TEXTILES ($1 538 MILLION, +87%), PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES ($1 364 MILLION, +42%), WATCHES AND CLOCKS

($645 MILLION, +36%), AND ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES ($636 MILLION, +92%).

THE TRADE INDEX NUMBERS FOR JUNE 1979 (1973 = 100) WERE RELEASED AS FOLLOWS #

VALUE

INDEX

UNIT VALUE

QUANTUM

INDEX

INDEX

DOMESTIC EXPORTS 283

163

174

IMPORTS

288

168

171

THE TERMS OF TRADE INDEX FOR JUNE 1979 WAS 97.

CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES TO BE UPDATED HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY BEGINS NEXT MONTH

***

A NEW SET OF CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES C.P.I. (A) AND C.P.I. (B) - WILL BE PUBLISHED BY APRIL, 1981 TO REPLACE THE EXISTING SERIES WHICH WERE COMPILED IN 1973/74.

ANNOUNCING THIS TODAY (TUESDAY) AT A NEWS CONFERENCE, THE COMMISSIONER FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS, MR. COLIN GREENFIELD, SAID THAT IT WAS THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY TO REVISE THE INDEXES EVERY FEW YEARS TO ENSURE THAT THEY REALISTICALLY REFLECTED PRICE CHANGES AFFECTING CONSUMERS.

THE REVISION OF INDEXES WILL BE BASED ON THE FINDINGS OF A HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY WHICH BEGINS NEXT MONTH AND WILL TAKE ABOUT 12 MONTHS TO COMPLETE.

MR. GREENFIELD POINTED OUT THAT AS A RESULT OF THE REVISION, THE EXPENDITURE RANGES OF C.P.I. (A) AND C.P.I. (B), WHICH ARE NOW $400 - $1 499 AND $1 500 - $2 999 RESPECTIVELY, WOULD BE RAISED.

IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO SAY WHAT THE NEW EXPENDITURE RANGES WILL BE UNTIL THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY ARE AVAILABLE,+ MR. GREENFIELD SAID.

THE NEW SET OF C.P.I. (A) AND C.P.I. (B) WILL REFLECT THE PRICE CHANGES EXPERIENCED BY THE MAJORITY OF HOUSEHOLDS IN HONG KONG.

/AS FOR...