XN000022-1984-04-25 — Page 21

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 1984

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+AND IT IS SURELY THE FUNDING PER PATIENT TREATED THAT IS THE MEASURE OF THE EFFECTIVE UTILISATION OF THE FUNDS, HE SAID.

TURNING TO POLLUTION CONTROL, MR CHING SAID AN INTERNAL REVIEW OF THE GOVERNMENT'S ORGANISATION FOR THE CONTROL OF POLLUTION WAS INSTITUTED IN THE MIDDLE OF 1983.

+

+THIS EXERCISE IS AT AN ADVANCED STAGE. AND IT SHOULD BE POSSIBLE TO FORMULATE DETAILED PROPOSALS LATER THIS YEAR, HE SAID.

INVESTMENT SEEN LINKED TO EXPORT GROWTH ***

THE GOVERNMENT WAS FULLY AWARE OF THE CENTRAL IMPORTANCE OF A HEALTHY MANUFACTURING SECTOR IN HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC WELL BEING, THE SECRETARY FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY, THE HON JOHN YAXLEY, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.

REPLY TO UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS' CONCERN ABOUT THE APPARENT FAIL IN PRIVATE INVESTMENT IN MANUFACTURING, MR YAXLEY SAID THAT FIGURES FOR RETAINED IMPORTS OF INDUSTRIAL PLANT AND MACHINERY DID SHOW A DECLINE IN INVESTMENT BY MANUFACTURERS IN 1982 AND THE FIRST HALF OF 1983. FOLLOWING THE RECOVERY IN EXPORTS DURING 1983, RETAINED IMPORTS OF INDUSTRIAL PLANT AND MACHINERY BEGAN TO TURN UPWARDS AGAIN IN THE LAST QUARTER OF LAST YEAR.

+EXPORT ORDERS ARE CONTINUING AT A HIGH LEVEL, SO WE EXPECT THIS TREND TO CONTINUE, HE SAID.

ON THE TASK OF DISSEMINATING TECHNOLOGICAL INFORMATION, MR YAXLEY SAID THAT IT WAS CURRENTLY UNDERTAKEN BY A NUMBER OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ORGANISATIONS INCLUDING THE INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT, THE HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE, THE TRADE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, THE CHINESE MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION, THE HONG KONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THE FEDERATION OF HONG KONG INDUSTRIES.

+EQUALLY IMPORTANT HOWEVER IS THE IDENTIFICATION, AND INTRODUCTION, OF TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY USEFUL IN HONG KONG'S CIRCUMSTANCES. AS EXAMPLES OF WORK TOWARDS THAT GOAL, I MIGHT PERHAPS DRAW MEMBERS' ATTENTION TO RECENT STUDIES COMMISSIONED BY THE INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT BOARD ON THE METAL AND LIGHT ENGINEERING INDUSTRY, THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY, AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER.

+ARISING FROM THESE STUDIES, MEASURES HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDED WHICH WILL FACILITATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE TO HELP INDUSTRY TO MOVE TOWARDS TECHNOLOGY-INTENSIVE PRODUCTION, HE SAID.

VAR YARLEY