XN000022-1979-12-10 — Page 4

PONUKI, DECEMBER TO, 1979

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HOWEVER HE EMPHASISED THAT THESE SALARY CHANGES WERE NOT STRAIGHT FORWARD SALARY REVISIONS AND WERE DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY TO MATCH THE RE-DEFINED FUNCTIONS OF THE NEW GRADES.

MR. LAW SAID THAT AT THIS STAGE THE GOVERNMENT IS ONLY ABLE TO AGREE IN PRINCIPLE THAT THE REVISED SALARY SCALES FOR ASSISTANT SOCIAL WORK OFFICERS AND ABOVE MAY APPLY WHERE STAFF IN VOLUNTARY AGENCIES HOLD SIMILAR QUALIFICATIONS AND ARE DOING SIMILAR WORK.

THIS IS BECAUSE THE SALARY SCALE HAS BEEN REVISED LASTLY IN RECOGNITION OF THE CHANGING SCOPE AND COMPLEXITY OF WORK UNDERTAKEN BY THESE OFFICERS, HE EXPLAINED.

IT WAS MORE DIFFICULT TO DECIDE WHETHER THE NEW SOCIAL WORK ASSISTANT AND SENIOR SOCIAL WORK ASSISTANT RANKS SHOULD APPLY TO THE VOLUNTARY AGENCIES, HE SAID.

MR. LAW SAID THE CONCEPT OF USING NON-UNIVERSITY TRAINED SOCIAL WORKERS TO PROVIDE FRONT-LINE SERVICES WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE OF NON-SOCIAL WORK QUALIFIED STAFF MAY OR MAY NOT BE PRACTICABLE FOR A VARIETY OF SERVICES IN THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR.

THESE ASPECTS WILL BE CONSIDERED IN GREATER DETAILS IN THE PROPOSED MEETING WITH THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR, AND UNTIL AN IN-DEPTH STUDY HAS BEEN MADE OF THE NEEDS OF THE VOLUNTARY AGENCIES, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO ASSESS TO WHAT EXTENT THE REVISED STRUCTURES AND SALARY SCALES IN THE DEPARTMENT SHOULD APPLY TO THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR, HE SAID,

TICD CHIEF WELCOMES JAPANESE MISSION

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THE DIRECTOR OF TRADE

INDUSTRY AND CUSTOMS. MR. WILLIAM DORWARD SAID TODAY (MONDAY ONE OF HIS DEPARTMENT'S PRIMARY CONCERNS HAS BEEN TO MAKE KNOWN WHAT HONG KONG HAS TO OFFER AS A LOCATION FOR OFFSHORE VENTURES BY JAPANESE INDUSTRY.

WELCOMING THE 24 MEMBERS OF A JAPANESE INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENT PROMOTION MISSION, MR. DORWARD SAID IN THE PAST 20 YEARS OR SO WE HAVE SEE A TREMENDOUS GROWTH IN YOUR EXPORTS TO THIS MARKET, BUT ALTHOUGH THERE HAS BEEN A MODERATE AMOUNT OF INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENT IT HAS BY NO MEANS MATCHED THE INTEREST SHOWN BY JAPANESE COMPANIES ELSEWHERE IN ASIA.

+THERE MAY BE SEVERAL EXPLANATIONS AS TO WHY THIS HAS OCCURRED, BUT CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGE AND I AM GLAD YOU HAVE COME HERE NOW TO DO AN UP-TO-DATE APPRAISAL, + HE SAID.

+I BELIEVE YOU WILL FIND THAT, FOR VARIOUS REASONS, THE RELATIVE ADVANTAGES OF HONG KONG HAVE INCREASED CONSIDERABLY WHEN COMPARED WITH MANY OTHER PLACES IN THE REGION, AND I AM CONF IDENT THAT YOU WILL FIND ON THIS VISIT THAT HONG KONG OFFERS MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR JAPANESE INDUSTRY,+ HE ADDED.

FOLLOWING A BRIEFING BY OFFICERS OF THE DEPARTMENT AND THE TRADE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL. THE MISSION VISITED THE KWAI CHUNG CONTAINER TERMINAL AND TWO FACTORIES.

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