XN000022-1984-01-11 — Page 18

JEDNESDAY, JANUARI 11, 1984

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WHILE THERE WAS AN ENCOURAGING GROWTH OF 18 PER CENT IN BUSINESS WITH NORTH AMERICA TO REGISTER A TOTAL OF $654 MILLION WORTH OF INSURED EXPORTS, THIS REPRESENTED ONLY TWO PER CENT OF HONG KONG'S DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE AREA, HE POINTED OUT.

*HOWEVER, THE PRODUCTS COVERED BY THE CORPORATION REMAINED CONSISTENT WITH THE OVERALL PATTERN OF OUR EXPORTS1 TEXTILES AND CLOTHING WERE PREDOMINANT WITH 41 PER CENT OF EXPORTS INSURED, FOLLOWED BY TOYS AT 11 PER CENT, MR HO ADDED.

MORE MARINE REFUSE REMOVED

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THE MARINE DEPARTMENT OPERATING A FLEET OF 29 CLEANSING VESSELS REMOVED OVER 8 000 TONNES OF REFUSE FROM HONG KONG'S WATERS LAST YEAR, COMPARED WITH 4 400 TONNES IN 1980, THE SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE, THE HON GEOFFREY BARNES SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.

MR BARNES WAS REPLYING TO QUESTIONS FROM REV THE HON P.T. MCGOVERN ON THE SUBJECT OF WATER POLLUTION.

NOTING THAT MORE NEEDED TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, MR BARNES REPORTED THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY STUDY, COMMISSIONED AT THE END OF 1982, WOULD BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF NEXT MONTH.

THIS STUDY WILL IDENTIFY THE SOURCES AND MOVEMENT PATTERNS OF MARINE REFUSE, INCLUDING THE SEASONAL VARIATIONS OBSERVED AND WILL MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE MORE EFFECTIVE INTERCEPTION AND COLLECTION OF FLOATING REFUSE.

+IN THE LIGHT OF THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY THE DEPARTMENTS CONCERNED WILL REASSESS THE IR EXISTING ARRANGEMENTS AND DEPLOYMENT OF RESOURCES AND WILL REVIEW THE ADEQUACY OF THE IR EXPANSION PLANS, + MR BARNES SAID.

AT PRESENT THESE PLANS INCLUDE ADDITIONAL VESSELS FOR THE MARINE DEPARTMENT'S CLEANSING FLEET AND AN EXTENSION OF ITS COVERAGE TO INCLUDE TUEN MUN, SHA TIN, SAI KUNG AND TAI PO IN ADDITION TO SERVICES PRESENTLY PROVIDED FOR VICTORIA HARBOUR, ABERDEEN AND CHEUNG CHAU.

THERE ARE ALSO PLANS TO EXTEND THE COLLECTION SERVICE IN THE TYPHOON SHELTERS TO INCLUDE CHEUNG CHAU, CHAI WAN, SAI KUNG AND SAM KA CHUEN.

BUT MR BARNES NOTED THAT DUE TO THE MARINE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET CONSTRAINTS FOR 1984-85, EFFORTS IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE WOULD BE DIRECTED AT ENSURING THE COLLECTING SERVICE AT ITS PRESENT LEVELS AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF APPROVED RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE EPA STUDY AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

APART FROM