XN000022-1984-05-30 — Page 10

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 1984

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SOME DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS EVEN WENT TO THE AIRPORT ON MAY 23 TO WELCOME THE DELEGATION UPON ITS RETURN TO HONG KONG, SHE OBSERVED.

+ I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO THESE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, CIVIC ORGANISATIONS, DISTRICT. BOARDS AND THE HEUNG YEE KUK FOR EVERYTHING THEY HAVE DONE TO SUPPORT UMELCO, SHE SAID.

SHE BELIEVED THAT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG HAD BEGUN TO REALISE THE IMPORTANCE OF GRASPING EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS THEIR WISHES, JUDGING FROM THE FACT THAT THEY HAD TAKEN THE INITIATIVE TO PLEDGE SUPPORT TO UMELCO.

+

HAILING THIS AS A GOOD SIGN, SHE SAID, I HOPE THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WILL KEEP UP THEIR EFFORTS IN THIS DIRECTION.+

SHE HOPED THAT WHEN THE GREEN PAPER ON MORE REPRESENTATIVE LINES OF GOVERNMENT WAS PUBLISHED, THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WOULD ADOPT THE SAME ATTITUDE AND FREELY EXPRESS THEIR OPINION.

MRS NG ALSO MENTIONED THAT SINCE UMELCO PUBLISHED ITS POSITION PAPER, THE MAJORITY OF LOCAL NEWSPAPERS HAD COMMENTED IN EDITORIALS THAT THE OBJECTIVES AND VIEWS OF THE UMELCO DELEGATION WERE CORRECT.

+FURTHERMORE, THE RESULTS OF A SURVEY CONDUCTED BY AN

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR A LOCAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER REVEALED THAT 80 PER CENT OF THOSE INTERVIEWED BY PHONE AGREED, SOME FULLY AND OTHERS PARTIALLY, TO THE VIEWS OF UMELCO AS EXPRESSED IN THE IR POSITION PAPER,+ SHE ADDED.

THEIR

OIL, COAL SUPPLIES ADEQUATE’ ****

HONG KONG'S RESERVE STOCKS AND SUPPLIES OF OIL AND COAL ARE ADEQUATE AT PRESENT, THE SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES, THE HON PIERS JACOBS, SAID TODAY.

MR JACOBS SAID THAT, AS FOR OIL, THE MAJOR OIL COMPANIES IN HONG KONG WERE MAINTAINING SUFFICIENT STOCKS AND SUPPLIES TO COVER BETWEEN TWO AND THREE MONTHS CONSUMPTION.

+THIS WELL EXCEEDS THE LEVELS ESTABLISHED IN THE CODE OF PRACTICE WHICH CAME INTO FORCE IN MAY 1982 FOLLOWING CONSULTATIONS BETWEEN THE DIRECTOR OF OIL SUPPLIES AND THE OIL COMPANIES,+ HE SAID.

AS FOR COAL, HE SAID. BOTH POWER COMPANIES OBTAIN THEIR SUPPLIES FROM DIVERSE SOURCES.

+THE CRISIS IN THE GULF DOES NOT THEREFORE CONSTITUTE A THREAT TO THESE SUPPLIES, WHICH COME FROM VARIOUS PARTS OF THE WORLD,+ HE SAID IN REPLY TO A QUESTION RAISED BY THE HON K.C. CHAN.

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