XN000022-1990-05-12 — Page 7

I

SATURDAY, MAY 12, 1990

AT THE SAME TIME, 13 INDUSTRIES SHOWED DECREASES IN PRODUCTION COMPARED WITH THE THIRD QUARTER OF 1989. AMONG THEM WERE: BEVERAGES (-19.3 PER CENT); NEWSPAPER PRINTING, JOB PRINTING AND OTHER PRINTING (-13.1 PER CENT); AND PLASTIC PRODUCTS (-11.2 PER CENT).

COMBINING THE INDEXES FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 1989 WITH THE INDEXES FOR THE PRECEDING THREE QUARTERS, THE INDEXES FOR 1989 AS A WHOLE COULD BE COMPUTED.

COMPARED WITH THE CORRESPONDING INDEXES FOR THE YEAR 1988, INDUSTRIES SHOWING THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE INCREASES IN PRODUCTION IN 1989 WERE: MACHINERY, EXCEPT ELECTRICAL (+12.7

PER CENT); NEWSPAPER PRINTING, JOB PRINTING AND OTHER PRINTING (+10.6 PER CENT); TOBACCO (+9.3 PER CENT); CHEMICALS AND CHEMICAL PRODUCTS (+8.0 PER CENT); PAPER AND PAPER PRODUCTS (+6.8 PER CENT).

AND

ON THE OTHER HAND, INDUSTRIES SHOWING THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE DECREASES IN PRODUCTION IN 1989 WERE: RUBBER PRODUCTS (-14.8 PER CENT); PLASTIC PRODUCTS (-12.9 PER CENT); LEATHER PRODUCTS AND FOOTWEAR (EXCEPT RUBBER, PLASTIC AND WOODEN CENT); WOOD AND CORK PRODUCTS, AND FURNITURE PRIMARILY OF METAL) (-10.5 PER CENT); AND FABRICATED EXCEPT MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT (-10.1 PER CENT).

FOOTWEAR) (-12.6 PER AND FIXTURES (EXCEPT

METAL PRODUCTS,

IN RELEASING THESE FIGURES, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT EXPLAINED THAT THE INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION IS PRIMARILY INTENDED TO REFLECT THE CHANGES OVER TIME OF LOCAL MANUFACTURING OUTPUT IN REAL TERMS.

IN OTHER WORDS, THE VOLUME OF LOCAL PRODUCTION IS MEASURED AFTER DISCOUNTING THE EFFECT OF PRICE CHANGES.

MORE DETAILED INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND IN THE "REPORT ON THE QUARTERLY INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION, 4TH QUARTER 1989", WHICH IS ON SALE AT $3 A COPY AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE, GROUND FLOOR, GPO BUILDING, CONNAUGHT PLACE, CENTRAL OR AT THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT PUBLICATIONS SALES COUNTER, 19TH FLOOR, WANCHAI TOWER 1, 12 HARBOUR ROAD, WAN CHAI. REGULAR SUBSCRIPTION MAY ALSO BE ARRANGED.

FURTHER ENQUIRIES ABOUT THE SURVEY MAY INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH SECTION OF THE CENSUS AND ON TEL. 823 4832.

BE

DIRECTED то THE STATISTICS DEPARTMENT

/INDEXES OF