XN000022-1989-05-12 — Page 19

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FRIDAY, MAY 12, 1989

INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION FOR 4TH QUARTER 1988

THE INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 1988, AT 133, WAS 10 POINTS OR 8.1 PER CENT ABOVE THAT FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 1987, ACCORDING TO STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY (FRIDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

+

THIS COMPARES WITH THE YEAR-ON-YEAR GROWTH RATES OF 6.3 PER CENT IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF 1988 3.4 PER CENT IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF 1988, 5.1 PER CENT IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1988, AND OF AN AVERAGE OF 6.0 PER CENT IN THE WHOLE YEAR OF 1988.

COMPARED WITH THE THIRD QUARTER OF 1988, AND BEARING IN MIND THE POSSIBLE INFLUENCE OF SEASONAL FACTORS, THE INDEX SHOWED A DECREASE OF 1 POINT OR 0.7 PER CENT.

INDUSTRIES

SHOWING THE LARGEST INCREASES IN PRODUCTION IN 'THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 1988 OVER THE SAME QUARTER OF 1987 WERE PROFESSIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT, PHOTOGRAPHIC AND OPTICAL GOODS, WATCHES AND CLOCKS (+34.6 PER CENT); BASIC METALS (+27.9 PER CENT)} PAPER AND PAPER PRODUCTS (+24. 5 PER CENT); MACHINERY, EXCEPT

ELECTRICAL (+24.1 PER CENT); AND NEWSPAPER PRINTING, JOB PRINTING OTHER PRINTING (+20.3 PER CENT).

AND

ON THE OTHER HAND, THE FOLLOWING INDUSTRIES REPORTED A DECREASE IN PRODUCTION COMPARED WITH THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 1987 : WOOD AND CORK PRODUCTS, AND FURNITURE AND FIXTURES {EXCEPT PRIMARILY OF METAL) (-16.9 PER CENT); RUBBER PRODUCTS (-7.7 PER CENT); CONSUMER ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS (-7.3 PER CENT); NON-METALLIC MINERAL PRODUCTS (-6.0 PER CENT); AND PLASTIC PRODUCTS (-1.0 PER CENT).

COMPARING THE INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION IN THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 1988 WITH THAT IN THE PRECEDING QUARTER, INDUSTRIES WITH THE LARGEST INCREASES IN PRODUCTION INCLUDED: TOBACCO (+12.3 PER CENT); WEARING APPAREL, EXCEPT KNITWEAR AND FOOTWEAR (+8.5 PER CENT); PROFESSIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT, PHOTOGRAPHIC AND OPTICAL GOODS, WATCHES AND CLOCKS (+3.7 PER CENT); AND MACHINERY, EXCEPT ELECTRICAL (+0.6 PER CENT).

AT THE SAME TIME,

13 INDUSTRIES SHOWED SOME DECREASES IN PRODUCTION COMPARED WITH THE THIRD QUARTER OF 1988.

THE MORE SIGNIFICANT DECREASES WERE RECORDED IN THE FOLLOWING INDUSTRIES : BEVERAGE (-27.0 PER CENT); PLASTIC PRODUCTS (-16.9 PER CENT); PAPER AND PAPER PRODUCTS (-12.9 PER CENT); AND RUBBER PRODUCTS

-11.8 PER CENT).

COMBINING THE INDEXES FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 1988 WITH THE INDEXES FOR THE PRECEDING THREE QUARTERS, THE INDEXES FOR 1988 AS A WHOLE COULD BE COMPUTED.

/COMPARED WITH ...............**