XN000022-1986-10-10 — Page 5

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1986

+A FEW NEW TRAVEL AGENTS WHO WERE LICENSED AFTER AUGUST 31 ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE LATEST GAZETTE BUT THEIR REGISTERED NAMES WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF A FULL GAZETTED LIST OF ALL LICENSED TRAVEL AGENTS TO BE PUBLISHED AFTER JANUARY NEXT YEAR,+ HE SAID.

TWENTY-THREE TRAVEL AGENTS' LICENCES HAVE BEEN REVOKED SINCE MARCH AFTER THE REGISTRAR WAS NOTIFIED THAT THEY HAD CEASED BUSINESS.

MR YEUNG SAID THAT UNDER THE TRAVEL AGENTS ORDINANCE ANYONE WHO CARRIED ON BUSINESS AS A TRAVEL AGENCY WITHOUT A LICENCE COMMITTED AN OFFENCE AND WOULD BE LIABLE TO PROSECUTION.

THE FIRST CASE OF A TRAVEL AGENT BEING PROSECUTED FOR OPERATING WITHOUT A LICENCE WAS BROUGHT BEFORE THE SOUTH KOWLOON MAGISTRACY LAST FRIDAY (OCTOBER 3) WHEN THE DIRECTOR OF AN UNLICENSED AGENCY NAMED +SUMMIT TRAVEL AND TOURS LTD+ WAS CONVICTED AND FINED $7 000.

FORD LOOKS AT ROYAL OBSERVATORY OPERATIONS

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THE SECRETARY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE, MR DAVID FORD, VISITED THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY THIS (FRIDAY) MORNING TO MEET ITS STAFF AND LOOK AT THE DEPARTMENT'S OPERATIONS.

CONTINUING WITH HIS SERIES OF VISITS TO GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, MF FORD FIRST RECEIVED AN INTRODUCTORY BRIEFING BY THE DIRECTOR OF THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY, MR PATRICK SHAM, AND THE TWO ASSISTANT DIRECTORS, MR PETER LI AND MR ROBERT LÂU.

HE WAS TOLD THAT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1883 MAINLY TO PROVIDE SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION FOR SAFE NAVIGATION OF SHIPS, SINCE THEN, THE WORK OF THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY HAS DEVELOPED TO COVER A WIDE RANGE OF SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES IN LINE WITH THE CHANGING NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY,

WHILE DAILY WEATHER FORECASTING AND WARNING SERVICES RENATI. THE PRIME CONCERN OF THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY, THE APPLIED ASPECTS OF METEOROLOGY AND RELATED GEOPHYSICAL SCIENCES ARE ASSUMING A MORE PROMINENT ROLE IN THE DEPARTMENT'S OVERALL PROGRAMME.

MR FORD THEN TOURED THE VARIOUS DIVISIONS AND SECTIONS OF THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY, INCLUDING THE CENTRAL FORECASTING OFFICE, THE COMPUTER DIVISION, THE RESEARCH AND RECORDS DIVISION, THE SE ISMOLOGY, ASTRONOMY AND TIME SERVICES SECTION AND THE RADIATION MONITORING DIVISION.

EFORE WINDING UP HIS VISIT, MR FORD MET GRADE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY AND EXCHANGED VIEWS WITH THEN.

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