XN000022-1986-04-16 — Page 26

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 1986

SUBSTANTIAL DECREASES WERE RECORDED IN THE DOMESTIC EXPORT VOLUMES OF RADIOS OF ALL KINDS ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS; AND TRAVEL GOODS, HANDBAGS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES (EACH BY 25 PER CENT). HOWEVER, INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN THE IMPORT VOLUME OF CONSUMER GOODS (BY 14 PER CENT) AND THE RE-EXPORT VOLUME OF CAPITAL GOODS (BY 34 PER CENT).

BASED ON THE UNIT VALUE INDEXES, IMPORT PRICES DROPPED BY 3 PER CENT WHILE TOTAL EXPORT PRICES ROSE BY NEARLY 1 PER CENT, THUS RAISING THE TERMS OF TRADE INDEX (DEFINED AS THE RATIO OF THE TOTAL EXPORT PRICE INDEX TO THE IMPORT PRICE INDEX) BY 3 PER CENT.

WITHIN TOTAL EXPORTS, RE-EXPORT PRICES INCREASED BY 1 PER CENT AND DOMESTIC EXPORT PRICES REMAINED UNCHANGED.

STANDARDS MAINTAINED IN CHILD CARE CENTRES

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GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE TO CHILD CARE CENTRES HAS HELPED RAISE AND MAINTAIN THE STANDARDS OF SERVICES PROVIDED IN THESE CENTRES, THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, MRS ANSON CHAN, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

SPEAKING AT A LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF KOWLOON WEST, MRS CHAN SAID A CHILD CARE CENTRES ADVISORY INSPECTORATE HAD BEEN SET UP WITHIN HER DEPARTMENT SINCE 1975 TO SUPERVISE AND ADVISE THESE CENTRES.

THE GOVERNMENT HAD ALSO ASSISTED WELFARE AGENCIES BY LOCATING SUITABLE PREMISES FOR CHILD CARE CENTRES, REIMBURSING RENTS AND RATES AND APPROVING ALLOCATIONS FROM THE LOTTERIES FUND TO MEET CAPITAL COSTS.

THE 1981 WHITE PAPER ON PRIMARY EDUCATION AND PRE-PRIMARY SERVICES SUGGESTED THAT APART FROM RE-IMBURSEMENT OF RENT AND RATES, NON-PROF IT-MAKING CHILD CARE CENTRES SHOULD BE PROVIDED WITH A SUBVENTION EQUIVALENT TO FIVE PER CENT OF THE APPROVED FEES BASED ON THE APPROVED CAPACITY.

+THIS MEASURE HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, AND IT WILL BE REVIEWED AT THE END OF THIS FINANCIAL YEAR TO DECIDE ON THE FUTURE MODE OF SUBVENTION, + MRS CHAN SAID.

ACCORDING TO A SURVEY CONDUCTED BETWEEN NOVEMBER 1982 AND JANUARY 1983, THE MAJORITY OF CHILDREN ATTENDING CHILD CARE CENTRES WERE AGED TWO TO THREE YEARS WHILE 85 PER CENT OF THE CHILDREN AGED THREE TO FIVE ATTENDED KINDERGARTEN.

/MRS CHAN