ENG-1963 — Page 119

INDUSTRY AND TRADE

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Homes Exhibition, held in London from 5th - 30th March to pro- vide space for a Hong Kong exhibit as one of the principal features presented the Colony with an excellent opportunity of promoting both trade and public relations (see also chapter 19). The Hong Kong stand covered an area of 1,000 square feet and was designed in the form of a street, in which the principal feature was a section where craftsmen in ivory, jade and wood carving, carpet weavers and wallpaper artists demonstrated their skills in stalls built as replicas of their Hong Kong workshops. In addition to a prestige exhibit of carefully selected items illustrating what Hong Kong can produce for domestic use, the display included a small booth run by welfare organizations in the Colony featuring the work of those not in regular employment.

Four weeks after the close of the Ideal Homes Exhibition, where Hong Kong's exhibit met with a very enthusiastic reception, the Colony was officially represented by an information stand at the London International Engineering Exhibition, which was held from 23rd April to 2nd May. The purpose in participating in this specialized exhibition was primarily to encourage investment in the Colony's young engineering industry and to publicize the poten- tialities which exist in the fields of structural, mechanical and electrical engineering.

Promotion in other markets was not neglected. As part of the programme decided upon by the Trade and Industry Advisory Board in 1962, a trade mission had left Hong Kong for the Middle East at the end of that year. In order to cover the area effectively the mission, consisting of five businessmen and two officials, was organized in two groups with different itineraries, and led respec- tively by Mr P. Y. Tang and Mr R. G. L. Oliphant. Both groups returned to Hong Kong on 22nd January, having between them visited 13 countries-Iran, Iraq, U.A.R. (Egypt), Libya, Cyprus, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. The mission found extensive interest in Hong Kong's products throughout the area and its report which was published later in the year aroused some attention outside the Colony.

To keep Hong Kong before the eyes of Australian importers and as a follow-up to exhibits at the Melbourne and Sydney trade fairs in 1959 and 1961 respectively, Government organized a small prestige exhibit at the Sydney International Trade Fair from 26th