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MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1988

PAC PUBLIC HEARING ON WEDNESDAY

THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE WILL HOLD ANOTHER PUBLIC HEARING THE

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL CHAMBER ON WEDNESDAY (DECEMBER 21), BEGINNING AT 9.30 AM.

IN

SENIOR OFFICIALS WILL APPEAR BEFORE THE COMMITTEE TO ANSWER POINTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE DIRECTOR OF AUDIT'S REPORT ( PARAGRAPHS 16.1 TO 16.3 - "AGREEMENTS WITH THE POWER COMPANIES FOR PUBLIC LIGHTING").

THEY ARE THE DIRECTOR OF HIGHWAYS, MR HAROLD BEATON; SENIOR PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT FINANCIAL SECRETARY, MR BRIAN JENNEY; AND PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES, MR ALAN DEEPROSE.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES COVERING THE PUBLIC HEARING ARE REQUESTED TO TAKE WITH THEM A COPY OF THE DIRECTOR OF AUDIT'S REPORT WHICH WAS ISSUED ON NOVEMBER 16.

OCTOBER ORDERS-ON-HAND, EMPLOYMENT AND PAYROLL FIGURES RELEASED

IN OCTOBER 1988, THE AVERAGE VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON-HAND REPORTED BY THE 200 LARGEST COMPANIES IN THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR REMAINED AT ABOUT THE SAME LEVEL AS IN SEPTEMBER 1988, BUT SHOWED A DECREASE OF TWO PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH OCTOBER 1987.

THIS IS SHOWN BY THE RESULTS OF A SURVEY RELEASED TODAY (MONDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

COMPARING OCTOBER 1988 WITH SEPTEMBER 1988, THE VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON-HAND INCREASED MARGINALLY IN THE WEARING APPAREL, TEXTILES AND FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES, BUT DECREASED MODERATELY IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY.

OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF COMPARISON, THE ORDERS POSITION IN ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE.

THE

COMPARED WITH OCTOBER 1987, THE ORDERS POSITION IN OCTOBER 1988 DROPPED SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE TEXTILES AND PLASTIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES AND MODERATELY IN THE WEARING APPAREL INDUSTRY, BUT INCREASED MODERATELY IN THE FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRY AND SLIGHTLY IN THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY.

THE AVERAGE

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