XN000022-1981-06-14 — Page 3

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SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 1981

THE SERVICE ALSO FOUND ITSELF MORE AND MORE INVOLVED INTERNATIONALLY WITH MANY OTHER CUSTOMS ADMINISTRATIONS, AND IT HAS DEVELOPED ITS OWN NEW ORGANISATION IN PARALLEL WITH ITS COUNTERPARTS OVERSEAS TO FACILITATE COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION,

+THIS IS THE BIGGEST ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE THE SERVICE HAS EVER EXPERIENCED, SAID THE COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS AND CONTROLS, MR DOUGLAS JORDAN.

+ IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING AN IMPROVED SERVICE FOR THE ECONOMY AND TO THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE, THE LARGE DEGREE OF DISCRETION GIVEN TO REGIONAL COMMANDERS SHOULD ENSURE WE ACHIEVE GREATER EFFICIENCY.

+BY ROTATING OFFICERS FROM POST TO POST OVER A PERIOD IN EACH REGION WE SHALL BE DEVELOPING THE FULLY-ROUNDED OFFICER. BY SO DOING WE ARE TRAINING YOUNGER OFFICERS TO FILL THE SENIOR POSTS OF THE SERVICE OF THE FUTURE WITH COMPETENCE, HE SAID.

MR JORDAN, SINCE BEING APPOINTED TO THE HONG KONG SERVICE IN NOVEMBER 1977, FOLLOWING A CAREER WITH HM CUSTOMS AND EXCISE IN THE UK, HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REORGANISATION OF THE DEPARTMENT.

THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE SERVICE, TOGETHER WITH THE TRADE CONTROLS DIVISION, FORMS THE CUSTOMS AND CONTROLS DEPARTMENT WHICH HAS A STAFF OF OVER 2 800, OF WHOM ALL BUT SEVEN ARE LOCAL OFFICERS.

THE TRADE CONTROLS DIVISION IS ALSO BEING REORGANISED AND REGIONALISED, AND CONSIDERATION IS NOW BEING GIVEN TO FURTHER CHANGES WHICH, IF IMPLEMENTED, WOULD BRING THE DIVISION MORE CLOSELY INTO DAY-TO-DAY WORKING WITH THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE SERVICE.

NEW COMPUTERISED EQUIPMENT MAKES FORECASTING EASIER AND SAVES ON MANPOWER

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NEW COMPUTERISED EQUIPMENT USED IN THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY HAS MADE WEATHER FORECASTING EASIER AND HAS BEEN A BIG SAVING IN TERMS OF MANPOWER.

+WITH OUR NEW UPPER-AIR SOUNDING SYSTEM, THE EFFICIENCY OF FORECASTING WORK HAS BEEN INCREASED, AND THERE HAS BEEN SUBSTANTIAL STAFF SAVINGS,+ SAID MR LAM HUNG-KWAN, SENIOR SCIENTIFIC OFFICER TODAY.

COSTING $800 000, THE NEW PIECE OF EQUIPMENT HAS BEEN INSTALLED AT THE METEOROLOGICAL STATION AT KING'S PARK, KOWLOON. IT CONSISTS OF A SALLOON-BORNE RADIOSONDE AND A DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM,

+ THE FUNCTION OF THE RADIOSONDE, EXPLAINED MR LAM, +IS TO MEASURE AIR PRESSUR, TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY AT VARIOUS HE IGHTS OF THE ATMOSPHERE IN HONG KONG AND TRANSMIT THE SIGNALS TO THE GROUND STATIONS WHERE THEY ARE PROCESSED BY A MINI-COMPUTER.

/+INFORMATION