XN000022-1987-03-31 — Page 5

TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 1987

CONSULTATION PERIOD FOR FILM CLASS IF ICATION BILL

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CONSULTATION ON THE BILL ON FILM CLASSIFICATION WILL LAST MORE THAN A MONTH, THE ACTING GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY (TUESDAY).

SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER THIS MORNING'S EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING, SIR DAVID SAID: +WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW IS THAT WE ARE PROPOSING THAT A BILL WOULD BE PUBLISHED ON FRIDAY.

+AND THEN, THERE WILL BE A PERIOD OF SEVERAL WEEKS - OVER A MONTH - FOR CONSULTATION ON THE BILL BEFORE IT GOES ANY FURTHER. AND THAT WILL ALSO GIVE THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TIME TO LOOK AT

IT AS WELL.

+ IT'S NOW BEING PUBLISHED AS A WHITE BILL BEFORE IT'S PUBLISHED AS A BLUE BILL.+

RETAIL SALES SURVEY RESULTS FOR JANUARY RELEASED

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THE VALUE OF TOTAL RETAIL SALES IN JANUARY 1987, PROVISIONALLY ESTIMATED AT $7 270 MILLION, WAS 18 PER CENT HIGHER THAN IN JANUARY 1986 WHILE THEIR VOLUME WAS 12 PER CENT HIGHER ACCORDING TO THE PROVISIONAL RESULTS OF A SURVEY RELEASED TODAY TUESDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THIS IS IN LINE WITH A SIGNIFICANT FIRMING UP IN CONSUMER DEMAND, ALTHOUGH THE TIMING OF THE CHINESE NEW YEAR IS ALSO RELEVANT ON THIS OCCASION.

COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1986, RETAIL SALES OF FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO INCREASED BY 25 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 20 PER CENT IN VOLUME. BOTH +CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS+ AND +OT HER CONSUMER GOODS+ WENT UP BY 21 PER CENT IN SALES VALUE AND 14 PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME.

CONSUMER DURABLES ROSE BY 12 PER CENT IN SALES VALUE AND 3 PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME. FUELS HAD A DECREASE OF 15 PER CENT IN SALES VALUE BUT ALMOST NO CHANGE IN SALES VOLUME. RETAIL SALES OF SUPERMARKETS ROSE VERY SUBSTANTIALLY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME.

/BOTH MOTOR