XN000022-1983-09-29 — Page 4

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1983

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UNDER THIS SCHEME, HE SAID, EACH OF THE RESIDENTS, MOST OF THEM SOCIAL SECURITY RECIPIENTS, IS REQUIRED TO PAY $185 A MONTH FOR RENT AND OTHER CHARGES,

THE SCHEME, INVOLVING A NUMBER OF GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND SECRETARIAT BRANCHES, IS MANAGED BY THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT.

THE COST OF THE FLATS IN SHA TIN HAS BEEN MET FROM THE URPLUSES ACCRUING FROM THE SALES OF COMMEMORATIVE GOLD COINS CSUED BY THE GOVERNMENT EVERY CHINESE NEW YEAR.

+OTHER SIMILAR DEVELOPMENTS ARE PLANNED ELSEWHERE AND THE EXPERIENCE GAINED HERE IN CITY ONE WILL BE INVALUABLE FOR THOSE LATER PROJECTS, MR CHAMBERS SAID.

TO THOSE VOLUNTEERS WHO HAD HELPED THE ELDERLY RESIDENTS MOVE INTO THE FLATS DURING THE PAST FEW WEEKS. HE SAID: +CLEARLY THIS WILL HELP THE FAMILIARISATION PROCESS AND MAKE THE ELDERLY RESIDENTS FEEL AT HOME IN THEIR NEW ENVIRONMENT.+

PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR AUGUST

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DOMESTIC EXPORTS, AT $9 966 MILLION IN AUGUST 1983, WERE 29 PER CENT OR $2 224 MILLION HIGHER THAN IN THE SAME MONTH OF 1982, ACCORDING TO THE PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES PUBLISHED TODAY (THURSDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

RE-EXPORTS, AT $4 856 MILLION, ALSO INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY BY 34 PER CENT OR $1 243 MILLION OVER THE SAME PERIOD.

THUS TOTAL EXPORTS

DOMESTIC EXPORTS PLUS RE-EXPORTS ROSE BY 31 PER CENT OR $3 467 MILLION TO REACH $14 822 MILLION IN AUGUST.

WITH IMPORTS AT $15 119 MILLION, AN INCREASE OF 31 PER CENT OR $3 536 MILLION, THE VISIBLE TRADE DEFICIT FOR AUGUST THIS YEAR WAS $297 MILLION.

THE VISIBLE TRADE GAP - THE PROPORTION OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS NOT COVERED BY THAT OF TOTAL EXPORTS -- WAS THE SAME AS IN AUGUST LAST YEAR, AT TWO PER CENT.

PUTTING LAST MONTH'S TRADE FIGURES INTO CONTEXT, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS IN THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF 1983 WAS 18 PER CENT HIGHER THAN IN LAST YEAR'S CORRESPONDING PERIOD.

THIS OVERALL INCREASE COMPRISED AN INCREASE OF 18 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND AN INCREASE OF 17 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS.

AS THE GROWTH RATE OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS WAS 15 PER CENT, THE VISIBLE TRADE GAP IN THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF THIS YEAR NARROWED SUBSTANTIALLY TO NINE PER CENT, FROM 12 PER CENT IN THE SAME PERIOD OF 1982.

/COMMENTING ON