XN000022-1985-08-14 — Page 13

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, 1985

THE COMMITTEE HAD RECOMMENDED THAT THE ESCALATOR PROJECT SHOULD BE DEFERRED SO THAT IT COULD BE THE SUBJECT OF A THOROUGH REVIEW.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT A REVIEW HAD NOW BEEN COMPLETED AND THAT A NUMBER OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS HAD BEEN CAREFULLY CONSIDERED. MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE HAD VISITED THE SITE AND HAD ACCEPTED THAT, IN VIEW OF ITS UNUSUAL FEATURES AND THE NEED TO MOVE VERY LARGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS, THERE WAS A CASE FOR THE USE OF MECHANICAL ASSISTANCE FOR LIFTING STUDENTS OVER PART OF THE DISTANCE.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE COMPROMISE SCHEME HAD BEEN SUBMITTED BY THE UNIVERSITY. IT INVOLVED THE CONSTRUCTION OF A CONCRETE STAIRWAY FROM THE BONHAM ROAD ENTRANCE AT A HEIGHT OF 50 METRES TO A HEIGHT OF 64.5 METRES AND OF VERTICAL ELEVATORS TO TRAVEL THE REMAINING DISTANCES UP TO A HEIGHT OF 81 METRES.

THE CAPITAL COST OF THIS SCHEME HAD BEEN ESTIMATED AT $6.45 MILLION AS AGAINST $11.9 MILLION FOR THE ORIGINAL PROJECT. THERE WOULD THUS BE A SAVING OF OVER $5,4 MILLION.

JOBLESS RATE LARGELY STABLE+

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THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT SITUATION REMAINED LARGELY STABLE IN THE QUARTER APRIL-JUNE 1985 WHEN COMPARED WITH THE QUARTER ENDING MARCH 1985, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST LABOUR FORCE STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR APRIL-JUNE 1985 WAS THREE PER CENT, AS COMPARED WITH THE RATE OF 3.3 PER CENT FOR THE QUARTER ENDING MARCH 1985. THE RATE FOR APRIL-JUNE 1984 WAS 3.5 PER CENT. WHILST THE DECREASE OF 0.3 PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE PREVIOUS QUARTER IS STATISTICALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT, THE DECREASE OF 3.5 PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE YEAR IS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT THAT IS, IT IS GREATER THAN MIGHT BE EXPECTED TO ARISE FROM SAMPLING ERROR.

THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS IN THE QUARTER ENDING JUNE 1985 WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 78 500, AS COMPARED WITH 84 500 FOR THE QUARTER ENDING MARCH 1985 AND 91 900 FOR THE SAME QUARTER OF 1984.

THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE FOR APRIL-JUNE 1985 WAS ONE PER CENT, AS COMPARED WITH THE RATE OF 1.3 PER CENT FOR THE PREVIOUS QUARTER.

THE DECREASE THE RATE FOR APRIL-JUNE 1984 WAS ALSO ONE PER CENT.

IN THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE OVER THE PREVIOUS QUARTER IS MARGINALLY STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT.

/THE ESTILAJED