XN000022-1986-12-30 — Page 3

2

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1986

IN ADDITION, SOME OF THE COURSES SUBSIDISED BY THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL WERE ALSO RELEVANT TO THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY.

MR CHAN SAID THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY WAS KEEPING ABREAST OF THE NEEDS OF SOCIETY AND PROGRESSING VERY RAPIDLY.

PUBLISHING WAS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THE CULTURAL FIELD, AND PUBLICATION OF CHINESE LANGUAGE BOOKS IN HONG KONG TODAY WAS MEETING A PARTICULAR NEED.

THE USE OF CHINESE WAS BECOMING MORE AND MORE COMMON IN BOTH THE PRIVATE AND THE PUBLIC SECTORS, IN TRANSMISSION OF INFORMATION AND IN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE.

THEREFORE, MR CHAN SAID, THE PUBLISHING SECTOR SHOULD CO-OPERATE WITH THE EDUCATION AUTHORITIES TO ENSURE THAT THERE WAS A SUFFICIENT SUPPLY OF QUALITY CHINESE TEXTS AND REFERENCE BOOKS.

COMMENTING ON THE POSSIBILITY OF SETTING UP AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON PUBLISHING, MR CHAN SAID THIS WOULD DEPEND VERY MUCH ON THE VIEWS OF THOSE IN PUBLISHING.

THE GOVERNMENT WOULD SERIOUSLY CONSIDER OPINIONS AND PROPOSALS PUT FORWARD.

MR CHAN ALSO PAID TRIBUTE TO THE WORK OF THE EXHIBITION'S ORGANISING COMMITTEE.

RESULTS OF YEAR OF RABBIT GOLD COIN APPLICATION

*****

THE PROCESSING OF APPLICATIONS FOR RABBIT GOLD COINS HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND BOTH SUCCESSFUL AND UNSUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS WILL BE NOTIFIED AROUND THE MIDDLE OF JANUARY 1987.

A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID TODAY THAT THE ISSUE HAD BEEN HEAVILY OVERSUBSCRIBED. SOME 36 400 APPLICATIONS HAD BEEN RECEIVED OF WHICH 18 400 WERE FOR PROOF COINS WHILE THE REMAINING 18 000 WERE FOR THE BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED VERSION.

A TOTAL OF 9 500 PROOF AND 12 500 UNCIRCULATED COINS WERE AVAILABLE FOR SALE TO HONG KONG RESIDENTS. THESE FIGURES REPRESENT AN INCREASE OF 2 000 COINS FOR EACH VERSION OVER THE NUMBER OF TIGER COINS WHICH WERE SOLD LOCALLY.

ABOUT 1 300 DUPLICATE APPLICATIONS WERE REJECTED BY COMPUTER PRIOR TO BALLOTING.

THE RABBIT GOLD COIN IS THE TWELFTH AND LAST IN THE LUNAR YEAR SERIES AND TOGETHER WITH THE COINS COMMEMORATING THE ROYAL VISITS OF 1975 AND 1986, COMPLETES THE SET OF 14 HONG KONG COMMEMORATIVE GOLD COINS.