XN000022-1987-04-25 — Page 4

3

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 1987

BEFORE THE REVISION, THE ORIGINAL RATE WAS $8 PER SQUARE METRE AND THE BOTTOMLINE DENSITY WAS 35 CULTCHES PER 10 SQUARE METRES, WHICH REQUIRES A CLAIMANT TO HAVE AN OYSTER BED FIVE TIMES DENSER THAN THE REVISED ONE BEFORE HE WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR EX-GRATIA ALLOWANCES.

COMMENTING ON THE SURVEY, THE SPOKESMAN SAID IT WAS PRINCIPALLY CONDUCTED TO IDENTIFY THE INDIVIDUAL OYSTER FARMERS WHOSE OYSTER CULTIVATION WOULD BE AFFECTED BY THE FORTHCOMING MARINE CLEARANCE AND TO WORK OUT A DETAILED ASSESSMENT TO FACILITATE PAYMENTS OF EX-GRATIA ALLOWANCES TO THEM.

WITH REGARD TO THE STATE OF OYSTER CULTIVATION IN THE AREA, THE GOVERNMENT HAD CONDUCTED A FREEZING SURVEY BY SIDE SCAN SONAR DEVICES IN JANUARY LAST YEAR WHEN THE HARVESTING SEASON OF OYSTER FARMING WAS AT ITS PEAK.

THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY WAS COLLATED AND ANOTHER SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED IN JULY DURING WHICH DIVERS WERE DEPLOYED TO VERIFY THE DENSITY OF OYSTER SPREAD WITHIN THE ROUTE AS RECORDED BY THE SONAR SURVEY. THE DATA OBTAINED FROM THE FREEZING SURVEY WERE FOUND TO BE BROADLY ACCURATE.

DURING THE FORTHCOMING SURVEY, REPRESENTATIVES OF THE LAU FAU SHAN OYSTERS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION, AND THE NEW TERRITORIES OYSTERS AND CRUSTACEAN UNITED ASSOCIATION WILL BE INVITED TO WITNESS THE WORK AND TO ASSIST INDIVIDUAL OYSTER FARMERS.

MEMBERS OF THE TANG YAU KUNG TONG (A TSO TONG OF THE TANG CLAN) WILL ALSO BE INVITED IN VIEW OF THEIR DECLARED INTEREST TOWARDS THE OYSTER BEDS.

TRADE AGREEMENT REACHED WITH NORWAY *****

A NEW THREE YEAR BILATERAL TEXTILES AGREEMENT HAS BEEN INITIALLED BETWEEN HONG KONG AND NORWAY. A SPOKESMAN FOR THE TRADE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCED TODAY (SATURDAY).

THE CURRENT AGREEMENT EXPIRES ON JUNE 30, 1987.

UNDER THE NEW AGREEMENT FOUR CATEGORIES WHICH ARE CURRENTLY UNDER RESTRAINT WILL BE LIBERALISED. THESE ARE IMPROVEMENTS IN GROWTH RATES AND FLEXIBILITIES FOR THE 11 CATEGORIES REMAINING UNDER RESTRAINT.

THE AGREEMENT WAS REACHED AFTER TWO ROUNDS OF NEGOTIATIONS. THE FIRST ROUND WAS HELD IN HONG KONG FROM MARCH 11-13 AND THE SECOND ROUND IN OSLO FROM APRIL 22-24. THE HONG KONG DELEGATION TO OSLO WAS LED BY MR JOSEPH WONG, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF TRADE,

0

14