XN000022-1994-01-20 — Page 6

THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 1994

5

TESTING OF NEW X-RAY MACHINE AT BORDER

* * * * *

THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE DEPARTMENT IS EXPLORING THE OF USING A NEW TYPE OF X-RAY MACHINE ΤΟ SCAN THE CONTAINERS AND LORRIES AT CONTROL POINTS.

POSSIBILITY CONTENTS OF

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY (THURSDAY) THAT THE NEW X-RAY MACHINE DEVELOPED BY AN OVERSEAS SUPPLIER HAD BEEN DELIVERED TO HONG KONG, FOR IN-DEPTH EVALUATION OF ITS EFFECTIVENESS AND IMPACT ON THE TRAFFIC FLOW OF CROSS-BORDER VEHICLES.

SAID.

TT

"THE EVALUATION WILL BE CONDUCTED IN PHASES, THE SPOKESMAN

ON MONDAY { JANUARY 24) A NUMBER OF DRIVERS OF 'THE NORMAL TRAFFIC MAY BE DIRECTED TO DRIVE THEIR VEHICLES THROUGH AN INSPECTION LANE AT LOK MA CHAU CONTROL POINT, WHERE TWO BRICK WALLS HAVE BEEN ERECTED, TO ASSESS THE ACTUAL IMPACT OF THE INSPECTION PROCEDURES THE TRAFFIC FLOWS.

ON

•

"DURING THE THREE-DAY SURVEY, THE X-RAY EQUIPMENT WILL NOT SET UP AT THE TEST SITE, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

BE

HE POINTED OUT THAT AFTER THE CONCLUSION OF THE TRANSPORT SURVEY, THE PROTOTYPE X-RAY EQUIPMENT WILL THEN BE SET UP FOR VARIOUS TYPES OF TESTS UNDER A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT BY SPECIALISTS TO IDENTIFY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, WHETHER IT IS HAZARDOUS TO HEALTH OF THE PERSONNEL WORKING NEAR THE SYSTEM.

"IN THE SUBSEQUENT EVALUATION TESTS, DRIVERS OF THE NORMAL TRAFFIC WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TO TAKE PART, THE SPOKESMAN ADDED.

17

CONSTRUCTION OUTPUT STATISTICS FOR 3RD QUARTER OF 1993

THE GROSS VALUE OF CONSTRUCTION WORK PERFORMED BY MAIN CONTRACTORS, INCLUDING GENERAL AND SPECIAL TRADE CONTRACTORS, AMOUNTED TO $19.2 BILLION IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF 1993, WHICH WAS 13.2% HIGHER THAN A YEAR AGO, ACCORDING TO THE RESULTS OF THE, QUARTERLY SURVEY OF CONSTRUCTION OUTPUT RELEASED TODAY (THURSDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THE

INCREASE WAS LARGELY DUE TO MORE ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION WORK PUBLIC SECTOR SITES AS WELL AS A SIGNIFICANT GROWTH OF OFF SITE CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES.

AT

OF

QUARTER

COMPARED WITH THE SECOND QUARTER OF 1993, THE GROSS VALUE CONSTRUCTION WORK PERFORMED BY MAIN CONTRACTORS IN THE THIRD INCREASED BY 5.9%.

/THE GROSS