XN000022-1987-07-03 — Page 4

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 1987

3

FIRE SERVICES EXPANSION WELL AHEAD

THE

TODAY THE CHIEF SECRETARY, MR DAVID FORD, SAID

THAT (FRIDAY) PLANS FOR FUTURE EXPANSION OF

FIRE SERVICES WERE GOING AHEAD

BUILT FIVE NEW FIRE STATIONS WERE TO BE

THIS YEAR TO QUITE FAST MEET THE NEEDS OF THE NEW TOWNS.

SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER A PASSING-OUT PARADE AT THE FIRB SERVICES TRAINING SCHOOL IN PAT HEUNG, MR FORD SAID THAT OVERSEAS TRAINING FOR FIRE SERVICES OFFICERS, TO BUILD UP

STRENGTH AND EXPERIENCE, WOULD CONTINUE.

THEIR

"I THINK, ALL IN ALL, WE ARE EXTREMELY LUCKY WITH THE QUALITY

11 HE ADDED. OF THE FIRE SERVICES THAT WE HAVE IN HONG KONG,

HIS

WHO WAS NOT

НЕ WHEN

SAID IN ASKED IF HE WAS REFERRING TO THE MEDIA SPEECH THAT SOMETIMES FIREMEN WERE UNFAIRLY CRITICISED BY PEOPLE DID NOT APPRECIATE THEIR WORK, THE CHIEF SECRETARY SAID THAT WHAT HE MEANT.

"I THINK THE POINT OF ISSUE HERE 19 THAT NOT WELL DIFFICULTIES THAT FIREMEN OPERATE UNDER ARE THE COMMUNITY.

THE SOMETIMES UNDERSTOOD BY

**THEY ARE SOMETIMES EXPECTED TO ACHIEVE

MIRACLES

WHERE

HAVE SEEN 申中 HE SAID.

MIRACLES ARE NOT QUITE POSSIBLE, AND I THINK FROM WHAT YOU TODAY, THE EFFORTS THEY DO PUT IN ARE REALLY TREMENDOUS,

APRIL RETAIL SALES SURVEY RESULTS PUBLISHED * * * * *

THE VALUE OF TOTAL RETAIL SALES IN APRIL 1987, ESTIMATED AT $6,326 MILLION, WAS 13 PER CENT HIGHER THAN IN APRIL 1986 WHILST THEIR VOLUME WAS 7 PER CENT HIGHER, ACCORDING TO THE PROVISIONAL RESULTS OF A SURVEY RELEASED TODAY (FRIDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

COMPARED WITH APRIL 1986, RETAIL SALES OF "CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS" AND "CONSUMER DURABLES" INCREASED BY 20 PER CENT AND 18 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN VALUE AND 14 PER CENT AND 11 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN VOLUME. "OTHER CONSUMER GOODS" WENT UP BY 13 PER CENT IN SALES VALUE AND 6 PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME, WHILE THE CORRESPONDING INCREASES FOR "FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO" WERE 10 PER CENT AND 5 PER CENT.

/FUELS INCREASED