XN000022-1987-01-17 — Page 6

5

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 1987

PRAISE FOR GOOD WORK OF CUSTOMS AND EXCISE

*****

THE PAST 75 YEARS HAVE BEEN A PERIOD OF ENDEAVOUR, HARD WORK AND COMPLETE DEDICATION FOR THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE SERVICE, CULMINATING IN AN EXCELLENT RECORD OF SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY AND AN INTERNATIONAL IMAGE SECOND TO NONE.

THE COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS AND EXCISE, MR PATRICK WILLIAMSON, SAID THIS TODAY (SATURDAY) AT A PASSING-OUT PARADE OF CUSTOMS

INSPECTORS AND CUSTOMS OFFICERS HELD AT THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE TRAINING SCHOOL IN TAI LAM CHUNG.

HE URGED MEMBERS OF THE SERVICE TO DO ALL WITHIN THEIR POWER TO UPHOLD THE FINE NAME AND TRADITION OF THE SERVICE OF THE PAST, AND TO STRIVE FOR AN EVEN BETTER TOMORROW.

MR WILLIAMSON WAS ALSO IMPRESSED BY THE SMART TURN-OUT AND BEARING OF THE PASSING-OUT SQUADS WHICH COMPRISED 23 CUSTOMS INSPECTORS AND 70 CUSTOMS OFFICERS.

THE RECRUIT INSPECTORS AND CUSTOMS OFFICERS HAVE RESPECTIVELY COMPLETED A 26-WEEK AND 13-WEEK RESIDENTIAL TRAINING PROGRAMME AT THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE TRAINING SCHOOL.

THIRD QUARTER RESTAURANT SURVEY RESULTS RELEASED

*****

THE VALUE OF TOTAL RECEIPTS FOR THE ENTIRE RESTAURANT SECTOR IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF 1986, ESTIMATED AT $5 121 MILLION, WAS 6 PER CENT HIGHER THAN IN THE SAME QUARTER OF 1985, WHILE THE SALES VOLUME WAS 3 PER CENT HIGHER, ACCORDING TO THE PROVISIONAL RESULTS OF A SURVEY RELEASED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THE PROVISIONAL ESTIMATE OF TOTAL PURCHASES BY RESTAURANTS IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF 1986 WAS $2 202 MILLION, WHICH WAS 6 PER CENT

HIGHER IN VALUE TERMS THAN IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF 1985.

ANALYSED BY TYPE OF RESTAURANT, FAST FOOD SHOPS RECORDED THE LARGEST INCREASE (16 PER CENT) IN THE VALUE OF TOTAL RECEIPTS WHEN COMPARED WITH THE THIRD QUARTER OF 1985, FOLLOWED BY BARS (12 PER CENT), OTHER EATING AND DRINKING PLACES (COMPRISING HERB TEA SHOP, CREAMERIES AND OTHER OUTLETS SELLING BEAN CURD JELLY ETC.) (8 PER CENT), CHINESE RESTAURANTS (5 PER CENT) AND NON-CHINESE RESTAURANTS (4 PER CENT).

IN VOLUME TERMS, THE TOTAL RECEIPTS OF FAST FOOD SHOPS, OTHER EATING AND DRINKING PLACES, BARS AND CHINESE RESTAURANTS WENT UP BY 14 PER CENT, 6 PER CENT, 4 PER CENT AND 3 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY, WHILE THOSE OF NON-CHINESE RESTAURANTS DECREASED SLIGHTLY BY 1 PER CENT.

/COMPARING