XN000022-1986-05-19 — Page 4

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MONDAY, MAY 19, 1986

COMPARING THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 1995 WITH THE PRECEDING QUARTER,

THE MORE PANY INDUSTRIES REPORTED AN INCREASE IN PRODUCTION. NOTABLE INCREASES WERE RECORDED FOR TOBACCO (+21.7 PER CENT); CONSUMER ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS (+18.4 PER CENT); WEARING APPAREL (+17.4 PER CENT); NEWSPAPER PRINTING, JOB PRINTING AND OTHER PRINTING (+11.5 PER CENT); RUBBER PRODUCTS (11.1 PER CENT); AND WOOD AND CORK PRODUCTS AND FURNITURE AND FIXTURES (+11.0 PER CENT).

ON THE OTHER HAND, SOME INDUSTRIES RECORDED A DECLINE IN PRODUCTION COMPARED WITH THE THIRD QUARTER OF 1985 BECAUSE OF LOWER SEASONAL DEMAND FOR THEIR PRODUCTS: BEVERAGES (-24.1 PER CENT) AND PLASTIC PRODUCTS (-16.8 PER CENT). THE PAPER AND PAPER PRODUCTS INDUSTRY AND THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PARTS, ACCESSORIES AND MACHINERY INDUSTRY ALSO REPORTED A DECLINE OF 19.4 PER CENT AND 12.3 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

IN RELEASING THESE FIGURES, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT EXPLAINED THAT THE INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION IS PRIMARILY INTENDED TO REFLECT THE LEVELS AND TRENDS OF OUTPUT IN REAL TERMS. IN OTHER WORDS, THE VOLUME OF PRODUCTION IS MEASURED AFTER REMOVING THE EFFECTS OF PRICE CHANGES.

TWO TABLES ON THE QUARTERLY INDEXES OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 1985 ARE INCLUDED. ONE IS A SUMMARY TABLE FOR BOARD INDUSTRY GROUPS, WHILE THE OTHER GIVES A MORE DETAILED INDUSTRY BREAKDOWN.

MORE DETAILED INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND IN THE +REPORT ON THE QUARTERLY INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION, FOURTH QUARTER 1985+.

THE PUBLICATION IS ON SALE AT $3 A COPY AND CAN BE OBTAINED FROM THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATION SALES CENTRE AT THE GENERAL POST OFFICE BUILDING, CONNAUGHT PLACE, OR AT THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT PUBLICATION SALES COUNTER, KAI TAK COMMERCIAL BUILDING, 317 DES VOEUX ROAD CENTRAL, REGULAR SUBSCRIPTION MAY ALSO BE ARRANGED.

FURTHER ENQUIRIES ABOUT THE SURVEY MAY BE DIRECTED TO THE INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH SECTION OF THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT, TELEPHONE NUMBER 3-7224504.

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