XN000022-1985-12-23 — Page 3

T

MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1985

THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF LIKELY INCREASING DEMAND IN FUTURE YEARS AND THE REFUSAL TO LICENSE HONG KONG DRAGONAIR ON BEIJING AND SHANGHAI DOES NOT PRECLUDE THEM FROM RE-APPLYING IF CAPACITY DOES PROVE TO BE INADEQUATE.

FULL REASONS FOR THE DECISION WILL BE GIVEN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

AG'S TERM EXTENDED TWO YEARS

****

HAS ACCEPTED AN

THE GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED TODAY (MONDAY) THAT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, MR MICHAEL THOMAS, C.M.G., Q.C. INVITATION TO SERVE FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS FOLLOWING THE EXPIRY OF HIS CURRENT CONTRACT ON MAY 23, 1986.

MR THOMAS, AGED 52, WAS APPOINTED TO HIS PRESENT POST IN MAY 1983.

CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR NOVEMBER

*****

THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (A) ROSE BY 2.9 PER CENT AND THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (B) BY 3.2 PER CENT BETWEEN NOVEMBER 1984 AND NOVEMBER 1985, ACCORDING TO FIGURES PUBLISHED TODAY (MONDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THE CPI(A) AND CPI(3) FOR NOVEMBER 1985 WERE 160.7 AND 161.5 RESPECTIVELY. COMPARED WITH OCTOBER 1985 AND BEARING IN MIND THAT THIS COMPARISON MAY BE AFFECTED BY SEASONAL FACTORS, CPI(A) DECREASED BY 0.3 PER CENT AND CPI(B), BY 0.1 PER CENT.

THE AVERAGE CPI(A) AND AVERAGE CPI(B) FOR THE 12 MONTHS

WERE ENDED NOVEMBER 1985, AT 159.4 AND 159.7 RESPECTIVELY 3.3 PER CENT AND 3.7 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGES FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDED NOVEMBER 1984.

DURING THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD ENDED NOVEMBER 1985. THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED CPI(A) INCREASED AT AN AVERAGE RATE OF 0.1 PER CENT PER MONTH AND THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED CPI(B), AT 0.2 PER CENT PER MONTH.

DURING NOVEMBER, RETAIL PRICES OF FRESH VEGETABLES, SALT- WATER FISH AND LIVE POULTRY WERE LOWER. ON THE OTHER HAND, RETAIL PRICES OF FRESH FRUIT, CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR WERE HIGHER.

/THE CPI(A)