XN000022-1989-03-10 — Page 6

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FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 1989

THE ROAD WILL START FROM SHA TIN ROAD NEAR POK HONG ESTATE AND WILL RUN ALONG SHA TIN WAI ROAD TO JOIN THE TATE'S CAIRN TUNNEL SHA TIN APPROACHES AT SIU LEK YUEN.

IT WILL BE A 1.4-KILOMETRE DUAL TWO-LANE

CARRIAGEWAY,

MOSTLY

ELEVATED.

THE WORK WILL ALSO INCLUDE LANDSCAPING ALONG THE ROAD, CONSTRUCTION OF SITTING-OUT AREAS AT SELECTED LOCATIONS, AND SPECIAL FEATURES SUCH AS NOISE BARRIERS NEAR THE SECONDARY SCHOOL SITE AT POK HONG ESTATE AND EMERGENCY TELEPHONES.

OF

THE

CONSTRUCTION WILL START LATER THIS MONTH AND COMPLETION OF CONTRACT WILL TIE IN WITH THE OPENING

THE TATE'S CAIRN TUNNEL AROUND AUGUST 1991.

SUPPORT FOR MANUFACTURERS IN UPGRADING OPERATIONS

THE GOVERNMENT AND VARIOUS INDUSTRIAL SUPPORT ORGANISATIONS STAND TO HELP MANUFACTURERS IN TAKING STEPS TOWARDS UPGRADING THEIR

SECRETARY, MR OPERATIONS, THE FINANCIAL

SAID JACOBS,

TODAY

(FRIDAY).

PIERS

SPEAKING AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY 1989, MR JACOBS SAID THE HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY COUNCIL HAD DEVELOPED A RANGE OF LOW-COST AUTOMATION SYSTEMS WHICH COULD BE USED BY SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED MANUFACTURERS.

"THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL TRAINS WORKERS TO OPERATE THE NEW GENERATION OF COMPUTER-CONTROLLED MACHINES.

"AND THE UNIVERSITIES AND POLYTECHNICS ARE EDUCATING TOMORROW'S MANAGERS AND ENGINEERS, WHO WILL BE TOTALLY CONVERSANT IN A TECHNOLOGICALLY-ADVANCED MANUFACTURING ENVIRONMENT, HE SAID.

INDUSTRIES

RATES PER

MR JACOBS SAID THE MANUFACTURING

WERE DOING VERY WELL AT PRESENT. FROM 1983 TO 1987, THE AVERAGE ANNUAL GROWTH OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS PER HEAD AND OF OUTPUT PER EMPLOYEE, AT 12.2 CENT AND 11.3 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY, WERE THE HIGHEST ON RECORD.

HE SAID CONFIDENCE IN THE CONTINUED VIABILITY OF THE ROLE OF MANUFACTURING IN HONG KONG WAS ALSO HIGH.

"THIS IS REFLECTED IN THE GROWTH IN THE LEVEL OF RETAINED

MANUFACTURING IMPORTS OF INDUSTRIAL MACHINERY FOR USE IN THE

SECTOR. THE LEVEL IN 1987 WAS 116 PER CENT HIGHER THAN THAT IN 1982," HE SAID.

/MR JACOBS