XN000022-1983-09-06 — Page 3

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1983

ANY PARTY INTERESTED IN A SITE ON THE +APPLICATION LIST+ SHOULD INITIALLY CONTACT THE CHIEF ESTATE SURVEYOR (DISPOSAL) AT LANDS DEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS, SECOND FLOOR, MURRAY BUILDING OR THE DISTRICT LANDS OFFICER OF THE AREA IN WHICH THE SITE IS LOCATED.

MR SCOTT-WILL STRESSED THAT THE SALES PROGRAMME WAS

PROVISIONAL AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE. SALE DETAILS WOULD BE PUBLISHED IN THE GOVERNMENT GAZETTE AND MAJOR NEWSPAPERS IN THE USUAL WAY.

COPIES OF THE LAND SALES FORECAST MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE LANDS DEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS, MURRAY BUILDING, THIRD FLOOR, GARDEN ROAD, HONG KONG OR AT ANY OF THE DISTRICT LANDS OFFICES THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY. PLANS SHOWING THE LOCATION OF THE VARIOUS LOTS CAN ALSO BE INSPECTED AT THESE OFFICES.

AIR CARGO GROWTH SHOWS IMPROVED TRADE

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THE SECRETARY FOR MONETARY AFFAIRS, MR DOUGLAS BLYE TODAY NOTED THAT HONG KONG'S IMPROVEMENT IN TRADE PERFORMANCE HAD BEEN BORNE OUT BY AIR CARGO MOVEMENTS, WHICH SHOWED THAT EXPORTS BY AIR IN AUGUST WERE A MASSIVE 38.2 PER CENT OVER THE AUGUST 1982 FIGURE.

SPEAKING AT A TOPPING-OUT CEREMONY OF AN EXTENSION TO THE HONG KONG AIR CARGO TERMINALS LTD (HACTL) BUILDING, MR BLYE POINTED OUT THAT IN THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, AIR CARGO MOVEMENTS HAD GROWN BY 17.9 PER CENT OVER THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD LAST YEAR, MADE UP OF A GROWTH OF 27.4 PER CENT IN EXPORTS AND 6.9 PER CENT IN IMPORTS.

AT THE SAME TIME, THE LAXTEST OFFICIAL TRADE FIGURES SHOWED A 16.5 PER CENT INCREASE IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN JANUARY TO JULY 1983 OVER THE CORRESPONDING SEVEN MONTHS IN 1982.

+FOR THE MONTH OF JULY, THE IMPROVEMENT WAS EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE, WITH DOMESTIC EXPORTS VALUED AT $9 853 MILLION, OR SOME 28 PER CENT OVER THE SAME MONTH LAST YEAR. INCIDENTALLY, IT IS ESTIMATED THAT ABOUT 28 PER CENT OF THIS TOTAL WAS BY AIR,+ HE SAID.

MR BLYE ALSO NOTED THAT HACTL WAS INVESTING $230 MILLION IN THE EXPANSION PROGRAMME TO PROVIDE A THROUGHPUT CAPACITY OF 670 000 TONNES A YEAR, MAKING THE TERMINAL ONE OF THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD.

*THIS IS ABOUT DOUBLE THE THROUGHPUT CAPACITY OF THE EXISTING TERMINAL, BUT EVEN WITH A CONTINUATION OF RECENT GROWTH RATES IT WILL BE SOME YEARS BEFORE IT WILL ALL BE UTILISED.

+SO THE INVESTMENT IS A DEMONSTRATION OF THE CONFIDENCE THAT THE COMPANY'S SHAREHOLDERS, WHICH INCLUDE THE GOVERNMENT, HAVE IN THE FUTURE OF HACTL AND IN HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC PROSPECTS,+ MR BLYE SAID.

/HE PAID

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