XN000022-1981-04-28 — Page 4

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TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 1981

COMMUNICATIONS SUCH AS THE TSUEN WAN BYPASS, THE COMPLETION OF THE TUEN MUN HIGHWAY, THE MTR EXTENSION, THE ÉLECTRIFICATION OF THE KCR AND THE COASTAL ROAD TO TAI PO WERE ALL WORKING TOWARD A GRADUAL UNCLOGGING OF THE TRANSPORT ARTERIES OVER THE NEXT TWO OR THREE YEARS, AND SHOULD ALSO IMPROVE THE ATTRACTIONS FOR INDUSTRY TO LOCATE IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.

RETURNING TO THE MISMATCH IN THE TYPE OF ACCOMMODATION, MR DORWARD SAID THE TAI PO INDUSTRIAL ESTATE HAD ALREADY PROVIDED SITES FOR ABOUT 29 TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED FACTORIES WHICH WOULD OTHERWISE HAVE FOUND IT VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO LOCATE IN HONG KONG AND SPACE WAS AVAILABLE FOR AS MANY AGAIN. THE YUEN LONG ESTATE WAS TAKING SHAPE, AND A LEASE ON THE FIRST SITE THERE WAS EXPECTED TO BE GRANTED VERY SHORTLY.

THE INDUSTRIAL ESTATES CORPORATION IS ALSO IN PROCESS OF CONSTRUCTING AT TAI PO A NUMBER OF STANDARD FACTORIES WITH HIGH CEILING CLEARANCES, HEAVY FLOOR LOADINGS AND GOOD ACCESS AND LOADING FACILITIES. THESE ARE FOR INDUSTRIES WHICH MEET THE CRITERIA FOR BEING GRANTED SITES ON THE ESTATE, BUT WHICH DO NOT NEED A PURPOSE-BUILT FACTORY AND WANT TO GET QUICKLY INTO PRODUCTION. DETAILS WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON AND THE FIRST FACTORY SHOULD BE AVAILABLE BY OCTOBER, HE SAID.

IN ADDITION, THE INDUSTRIAL LAND SALES PROGRAMME IN 1979 AND AGAIN LAST YEAR WAS TAILORED TO ENSURE THE PROVISION OF ADDITIONAL SMALL UNITS OF UP TO 75 SQUARE METRES, AND OF UPPER FLOOR SPACE WITH HIGH CEILING CLEARANCE AND HEAVY FLOOR LOADING CAPACITY TO MEET THE DEMAND APPARENT FOR BOTH AS REFLECTED IN RELATIVE CURRENT COSTS.

+DURING THE YEAR ENDING MARCH 1981, 22 SITES TOTALLING ROUGHLY 68 000 SQUARE METRES WERE DISPOSED OF WITH SPECIAL LEASE CONDITIONS OF VARIOUS TYPES TO ACHIEVE THIS PURPOSE AND IT IS EXPECTED THAT A FURTHER 28 000 SQUARE METRES IN 10 SITES WILL BE DEALT WITH SIMILARLY BETWEEN APRIL AND SEPTEMBER 1981.

+TAKEN TOGETHER, THIS PACKAGE OF MEASURES WILL, I TRUST, HAVE A STABILISING EFFECT ON RENTAL AND SALE PRICES FOR FACTORY PREMISES, THERE ARE, I KNOW, INDICATIONS THAT SOME SPACE IS VACANT AND REMAINING SO BECAUSE RENTS OR SALE PRICES ARE BEING PITCHED ABOVE THE MARKET LEVEL. THE EXTENT TO WHICH SUCH AN ATTITUDE BY CERTAIN DEVELOPERS CAN BE SUSTAINED IN THE FACE OF THE CHANGING SITUATION I HAVE JUST DESCRIBED IS HARD TO PREDICT- BUT IT MUST BE LIMITED, HE SAID.

CONGRATULATING THE CHINESE MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION FOR ITS VALUABLE CONTRIBUTION IN STIMULATING INDUSTRIAL INNOVATION BY ORGANISING THE NEW PRODUCTS COMPETITION, MR DORWARD ANNOUNCED THAT THE WINNER OF THIS YEAR'S DIRECTOR OF TRADE INDUSTRY AND CUSTOMS AWARD WAS QUAL IDUX INDUSTRIAL CO. LTD. FOR ITS PLASTIC FOLDING CHAIR.

+THIS IS A PRODUCT WHICH COMBINES PROGRESS IN INDUSTRIAL ENG INEER ING IN THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY WITH IMAGINATIVE AND FUNCTIONAL DESIGN, HE CONCLUDED.

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