XN000022-1983-07-14 — Page 2

THURSDAY, JULY 14, 1983

TALKS CONTINUE ON JULY 25, GOVERNOR SAYS

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THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE, SAID TODAY (THURSDAY) THAT HE WOULD BE GOING BACK TO PEKING TO CONTINUE THE SECOND PHASE OF THE TALKS BETWEEN THE BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENT DELEGATIONS ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG ON JULY 25.

SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AT THE AIRPORT ON HIS RETURN FROM PEKING, HE SAID IT WAS A WORKING VISIT AND THAT HIS TIME WAS VERY FULLY OCCUPIED.

+I THINK YOU WILL ALL HAVE NOTED THE STATEMENT WHICH WAS ISSUED YESTERDAY WHICH INDICATED THAT THERE HAD BEEN USEFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE TALKS AND THAT WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE ON THE 25TH, AND I SHALL GO BACK FOR THAT, HE SAID.

POINTING OUT THAT THE TALKS WERE CONFIDENTIAL AND THAT HE COULD NOT ADD TO THE STATEMENT WHICH HAD BEEN MADE, SIR EDWARD ADDED THAT THIS MEANS THAT I AM NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO BRING YOU NEWS EVERY TIME I COME BACK FROM PEKING, NOR AM I GOING TO COMMENT ON THE VERY LARGE NUMBER OF SPECULATIVE REPORTS WHICH I KNOW ARE CIRCULATING.

THE GOVERNOR WAS MET AT THE AIRPORT BY THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR PHILIP HADDON-CAVE THE SENIOR UNOFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL. SIR SZE-YUEN CHUNG: THE SENIOR UNOFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, MR ROGER LOBO, AND TWO OFFICIALS OF THE XINHUA NEWS AGENCY (HONG KONG BRANCH), MR TAN GAN, VICE CHIEF EDITOR, AND MR JI SHAOXIANG, FOREIGN AFFAIRS SECRETARY.

WAGE INDEXES FOR MARCH 1983

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THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (THURSDAY) PUBLISHED WAGE INDEXES FOR MARCH 1983.

WITH 100 AS THE INDEX FOR MARCH 1982, THE OVERALL NOMINAL WAGE INDEX STOOD AT 108 FOR MARCH 1983, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 3 PER CENT OVER DECEMBER 1982 AND OF 8 PER CENT OVER MARCH 1982.

THE NOMINAL WAGE INDEXES FOR JUNE, SEPTEMBER, DECEMBER 1982 AND MARCH 1983 FOR SELECTED MAJOR ECONOMIC SECTORS ARE GIVEN IN TABLE 1.

WHEN MARCH 1983 IS COMPARED WITH DECEMBER 1982, THE NOMINAL WAGE INDEXES FOR THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR INCREASED BY 3 PER CENT (PLEASE SEE TABLE 3 FOR MORE DETAILED BREAKDOWNS), FOR THE WHOLESALE/RETAIL, IMPORT/EXPORT TRADES AND RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS SECTOR BY 2 PER CENT, FOR THE TRANSPORT SERVICES SECTOR BY 5 PER CENT. FOR THE BUSINESS SERVICES SECTOR BY 5 PER CENT AND FOR THE PERSONAL SERVICES SECTOR BY 3 PER CENT.

/WHEN MARCH