XN000022-1995-10-31 — Page 4

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"But what was once in balance is now losing its equilibrium," Mr Siu said.

"Wild habitats are succumbing to the pressure of relentless human population growth and economic development. Modern technology is making it easier to harvest species for medicinal purposes.

14.

"Living standards are rising throughout the region. These trends foreshadow a doubtful future for wildlife unfortunate enough to have a value in traditional medicine - and the trade that depends upon that wildlife," he added.

He said Hong Kong recognised the answer to this problem was sustainable use and that dialogue between the interested parties was a prerequisite for success.

Mr Siu pointed out that Hong Kong was fully committed to enforcement of CITES and supported the efforts of the CITES Secretariat and the non-governmental organisations to discharge that responsibility effectively.

End/Tuesday, October 31, 1995

Monetary statistics for September 1995

b

According to statistics published today (Tuesday) by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, total deposits grew moderately in September 1995, while total loans and advances rebounded somewhat.

Table 1 summarises figures for September 1995 and comparisons with earlier months. Table 2 gives quarterly figures for loans and advances for use in Hong Kong by major economic sector.

Deposits

Total deposits grew by 0.8% in September, moderating slightly from 1.0% in August. This was made up of a 1.1% rise in HK$ deposits and a 0.5% rise in foreign currency deposits during the month.

Within HK$ deposits, demand deposits fell by 18.4% in September. The sharp fall was due to the artificially high reported level of deposits in August resulting from the typhoon on 31 August that caused some cheques deposited on that day to be credited to payees' accounts but not debited from payers' accounts. The average change during August and September, which abstracts from this effect, was a decline of 1.4%.