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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1985

OVER THE SAME PERIOD, SEABORNE EXPORTS TO CHINA ROSE RAPIDLY BY 12 TIMES IN TERMS OF TONNAGE, WHILE SEABORNE EXPORTS TO AUSTRALIA AND REPUBLIC OF KOREA ROSE BY 39 PER CENT AND 31 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY. AMONG THE PRINCIPAL COMMODITIES, SEABORNE EXPORTS OF CEREALS AND CEREAL PREPARATIONS ROSE BY 371 PER CENT IN TERMS OF TONNAGE, WHILE THOSE OF INORGANIC CHEMICALS ROSE BY 169 PER CENT, AND THOSE OF CHEMICAL MATERIALS AND PRODUCTS BY 144 PER CENT.

SHIPPING STATISTICS ARE COMPILED PRIMARILY FROM GENERAL DECLARATIONS SUBMITTED TO THE MARINE DEPARTMENT BY SHIP MASTERS QR AUTHORISED SHIPPING AGENTS, AND COVER ALL OCEAN-GOING VESSELS ENTERING AND LEAVING HONG KONG, EXCLUDING YACHTS AND PLEASURE CRAFT PORT AND CARGO STATISTICS ARE COMPILED FROM OCEAN CARGO MANIFESTS SUPPLIED BY SHIPPING COMPANIES OR AGENTS TO THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT. BECAUSE OF RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS, A SAMPLE OF ALL CONSIGNMENTS LISTED IN THE MANIFEST IS USED FOR COMPILING THE STATISTICS. THE SAMPLING METHOD IS DESCRIBED IN THE EXPLANATORY NOTES OF THE REPORT.

MORE DETAILS ARE CONTAINED IN THE +HONG KONG SHIPPING STATISTICS+ REPORT FOR JULY TO SEPTEMBER 1984, WHICH IS NOW CN SALE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE, GENERAL POST OFFICE BUILDING, CONNAUGHT PLACE, AT $12 PER COPY.

ENQUIRIES ON STATISTICS PROVIDED IN THIS REPORT MAY BE DIRECTED TO THE SHIPPING STATISTICS SECTION OF THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT, AT TELEPHONE NUMBERS 5-452701 AND 5-455422.

ANOTHER YEAR OF GOOD LABOUR RELATIONS *****

LAST YEAR WAS +ANOTHER YEAR OF GOOD LABOUR RELATIONS IN HONG KONG, THE CHIEF LABOUR OFFICER OF THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT'S LABOUR PELATIONS SERVICES (LRS), MR DONALD CHAN SAID TODAY (SUNDAY).

COMMENTING ON FIGURES RELEASED BY THE DEPARTMENT ON TRADE DISPUTES AND THE NUMBER OF WORKING DAYS LOST DUE TO WORK STOPPAGES, MR CHAN SAID THERE WERE 11 WORK STOPPAGES LAST YEAR RESULTING IN A LOSS OF 3 083 WORKING DAYS IN 10 OF THE STOPPAGES AND 310 MAN- HOURS IN ANOTHER ONE CONCERNING AN AIRLINE COMPANY.

*THIS FIGURE FOR WORKING DAYS LOST IS VERY LOW BY INTERNATIONAL IT IDARDS AND IS A POSITIVE INDICATOR OF GOOD LABOUR RELATIONS IN

CRAL IN HONG KONG,+ MR CHAN SAID.

DURING THE YEAR, MR CHAN SAID, THE LRS OF THE DEPARTMENT HANDLEJ 147 TRADE DISPUTES, OF THESE, 59 OR 40.1 PER CENT, WERE SETTLED, WHILE THE REST WERE MOSTLY INSOLVENCY CASES THAT HAD TO BE PASSED TO THE LEGAL AID DEPARTMENT FOR WINDING UP PROCEEDINGS.

/THE LRS