ENG-1963 — Page 129

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INDUSTRY AND TRADE

Norway and ensures, by means of a system of export licensing, that exports do not exceed the agreed quantities. Mention should be made of the Cotton Advisory Board which was formed in July 1961 to advise Government on the problems facing the cotton textile industry and particularly those arising from requests by importing countries for restrictions on the export of cotton textiles from Hong Kong. The Board, under the ex officio chairmanship of the Director of Commerce and Industry, comprises leading members of the spinning, weaving, dyeing and finishing, and made- up goods sections of the industry, as well as members of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Hong Kong Industries and the Chinese Manufacturers' Association. Members are appointed in their individual capacity and not as representatives of any association.

Documentation of Origin. With the growth in the export of Hong Kong products, the certification of origin of locally manufactured goods has become increasingly important. Since Hong Kong has practically no raw materials, the origin of goods manufactured by local factories is established by the work carried out in trans- forming imported raw materials into entirely new products. The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, the Indian Chamber of Commerce, the Chinese Manufacturers' Association and the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce issue certificates of Hong Kong origin which are acceptable in varying degrees to overseas authorities. Some of these associations, also issue certificates of other than Hong Kong origin in respect of goods entering the entrepôt trade. Many overseas authorities, however, continue to require imports of Hong Kong products to be covered by certificates of origin issued by the Commerce and Industry Department. During 1963 the department, by a system of factory registration and inspection, continued to ensure that the goods certified were in fact entitled to claim Hong Kong origin.

The department also issued forms E 120 and Commonwealth preference certificates to enable Hong Kong products to claim preferential rates of duty on entry into Britain and those Common- wealth territories which grant preference to Hong Kong. Common- wealth preference certificates indicate the Commonwealth content