XN000022-1980-05-20 — Page 9

TUESDAY, MAY 20, 1980

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SURVEY OF ACTIVE SEAFARERS

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THE SEAMEN'S RECRUITING OFFICE (SRO) OF THE MARINE DEPARTMENT WILL SHORTLY CONDUCT A COMPREHENSIVE SURVEY TO DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED SEAMEN WHO ARE STILL WILLING TO GO TO SEA WITHIN SPECIFIED TIME LIMITS.

QUESTIONNAIRES WILL BE SENT TO ALL REGISTERED SEAMEN WHO

ARE NOW CURRENTLY INACTIVE.

ACCORDING TO STATISTICS, AT THE END OF MARCH, 53 958 PEOPLE WERE INCLUDED IN PART OF THE SEAMEN REGISTER. THEY HAD EITHER BEEN TO SEA DURING THE PAST TWO YEARS OR HAD HAD PRE-SEA TRAINING OR ACCEPTABLE SHORE EXPERIENCE TO QUALIFY FOR SERVICE.

ANOTHER 29 886 SEAMEN, WHOSE NAMES WERE LISTED WITH LICENSED CREW DEPARTMENTS IN SHIPPING COMPANIES, WERE INCLUDED IN PART IV OF THE REGISTER.

THERE WERE IN ADDITION, 2 089 IN PART 1 OF THE REGISTER WHO NEITHER HAD PRE-SEA TRAINING NOR ACCEPTABLE SHORE EXPERIENCE.

OF THE OVER 85 000 SEAMEN REGISTERED WITH THE SRO ONLY

19 000 ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN SEAFARING.

EDUCATION DIRECTOR LEARNS MORE ABOUT INDUSTRIAL NEEDS

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THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR KENNETH TOPLEY THIS MORNING VISITED TWO FACTORIES IN KWUN TONG WHERE HE TALKED TO THE MANAGERS, ENGINEERS AND WORKERS.

THE PURPOSE OF HIS VISIT WAS TO GATHER VIEWS OF INDUSTRIALISTS AND TO FAMILIARISE HIMSELF WITH DEVELOPMENTS IN THE INDUSTRIAL FIELD SO AS TO GEAR HIS DEPARTMENT'S TECHNICAL INSTITUTES TO THEIR NEEDS IN LINE WITH RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE INDUSTRIAL DIVERSIFICATION REPORT.

MR TOPLEY FIRST WENT TO THE CHINA COLD STORAGE AND ENGINEERING CO. LTD., AND WAS MET BY MR LAWRENCE FREED, THE DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING, WHO ACCOMPANIED HIM ON A TOUR OF THE COMPANY'S AIR-CONDITIONER SECTION.

AFTERWARDS, MR TOPLEY VISITED THE EATERN TIME LTD., WHERE HE OBTAINED FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE OF THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF WATCHES AND CLOCKS IN THE COMPANY OF MR K.K. LEE, THE WORKS MANAGER OF THE FACTORY.

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