XN000022-1981-11-11 — Page 18

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VEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11,

REFERRING TO THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON DIVERSIFICATION REPORT, MR DORWARD TOLD THE COUNCIL THAT THE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT BOARD, IN ITS FIRST YEAR HAD INITIATED A NUMBER OF ACTIVITIES DESIGNED TO IMPROVE TECHNICAL SERVICES AND BACK UP FACILITIES TO INDUSTRY.

IMPORTANT BEGINNINGS HAD BEEN MADE IN REGARD TO:

(A)

THE PROVISION OF PRIMARY STANDARDS-

(B)

(C)

(D)

IMPROVEMENT OF QUALITY CERTIFICATION SERVICES-

THE DEVELOPMENT OF SERVICES FOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION TO INDUSTRY AND THE TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY AND

THE CONDUCT, THROUGH THE PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE, OF A TECHNO-ECONOMIC STUDY ON THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A MICRO-PROCESSOR DEVELOPMENT

LABORATORY.

A FULL REPORT ON THE FIRST YEAR'S ACTIVITIES OF THE IDB WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC LATER THIS WEEK, HE SAID.

REFERRING TO SMALL AND MEDIUM INDUSTRIES, MR DORWARD SAID THE HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE HAD, SINCE ITS INCEPTION, OFFERED A WIDE RANGE OF SERVICES TO SUCH INDUSTRIES.

IT WAS ESTABLISHING A SMALL AND MEDIUM INDUSTRY EXTENSION SERVICE TO OFFER FURTHER ASSISTANCE TO MANUFACTURERS ON ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL, ENERGY CONSERVATION AND WASTE CONTROL AND RE-CYCLING, AND WOULD BE GOING OUT TO MAKE WIDELY KNOWN THE ASSISTANCE IT COULD OFFER.

ON A SUGGESTION REGARDING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF INDUSTRIAL ESTATES FOR SMALL FACTOR IES TO ENABLE MANUFACTURERS TO ACQUIRE THE IR OWN PREMISES, MR DORWARD SAID; + DOUBT THERE IS A CASE FOR SUCH A MEASURE. IT WOULD SURELY BE AN UNPRODUCTIVE USE OF A VALUABLE RESOURCE TO ALLOCATE LAND FOR LOW INTENSITY DEVELOPMENT OTHER THAN, SAY, FOR THE GENERALLY LARGE AND TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED OCCUPANTS OF THE TAI PO AND YUEN LONG INDUSTRIAL ESTATES.+

MR DORWARD SAID TOTAL SUPPLY OF NEW FACTORY SPACE IN 1981 WAS ESTIMATED TO REACH SLIGHTLY OVER 1 000 000 SQUARE METRES, OVER 10 PER CENT OF TOTAL STOCK AT THE END OF 1980, AND THERE WOULD BE A FURTHER SUPPLY OF OVER 1.7 MILLION SQUARE METRES IN 1982.

DUE AT LEAST IN PART TO THIS SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE RENTS OF FLATTED FACTOR IES HAD RECENTLY DECLINED BY AS MUCH AS 10- 15 PER CENT, HAVING LEVELLED OFF DURING THE FIRST AND SECOND QUARTERS OF THE YEAR.

PRICES OF FLATTED FACTORIES HAD ALSO DECLINED, BY OVER SEVEN PER CENT BETWEEN THE SECOND AND THE THIRD QUARTERS, HE SAID,

الله کمر

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