ENG-1979 — Page 49

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INDUSTRY AND TRADE

them in the evaluation and establishment of manufacturing projects in Hong Kong. The division encourages industrial co-operation between Hong Kong and overseas manufac- turers, and liaises with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce in the organisation of industrial promotion programmes. It also advises the government on industrial land matters.

The Commissioner of Customs and Controls is assisted by a deputy commissioner, and two assistant commissioners who head the Trade Controls Division and the Customs and Excise Service.

The Trade Controls Division is responsible for certification and trade documentation procedures, including an import and export licensing system for commodities other than textiles. It includes the Trade Investigation Branch which undertakes the regular inspection of factories and goods, and carries out law enforcement functions, including prosecutions. The division also is responsible for handling trade complaints and controlling reserved commodities, of which rice is the most important.

A rice control scheme has been in operation since 1955. The object of the scheme is to ensure regular and adequate supplies of rice to consumers at reasonable prices. A reserve stock is maintained to safeguard supplies to the public. On November 1, 1979, the Reserved Commodities Ordinance came into force. It replaced the Import and Export (Reserved Commodities) Regulations which were the legal basis of the rice control scheme. It also provided for the registration of rice wholesalers.

The Customs and Excise Service is a disciplined force whose work covers the protection of revenue from dutiable commodities, the calculation and collection of duty, and anti- narcotics operations in co-operation with other law enforcement agencies.

The Administration Division is directly responsible to the Director of Trade Industry and Customs, and services the Departments of Trade, Industry, and Customs and Controls. It deals with personnel and the financial and general management of the department, as well as the administrative liaison with overseas offices.

Hong Kong Trade Development Council

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council, a statutory body established in 1966, is responsible for promoting and developing trade with the world. Its chairman is appointed by the Governor and the council's 17 members include representatives of major trade asso- ciations, leading businessmen and industrialists, and two senior government officials. The council is financed by an annual grant from public funds.

The staff of the council carried out an extensive trade promotion programme in 1979, organising some 50 major international projects. These included an economic mission to Europe visiting Paris, Marseilles, Milan, Rome and London, where the delegates renewed high-level contacts with senior government officials and business and industrial leaders.

Other promotional projects mounted during the year included a fashion presentation in the United States city of Dallas, and participation in the Kobe Import Fair, Tokyo Inter- national Trade Fair, Berlin International Television and Radio Show, Nuremberg Inter- national Toy Fair, Cologne International Houseware Fair, the Macef International Fair in Milan, Cairo International Trade Fair, Birmingham International Spring Fair, American Toy Fair, British Toy and Hobby Fair, Frankfurt Spring Fair, Spoga Fair, Chicago Con- sumer Electronics Show, and the New York Premium Show.

The Trade Development Council organised business group visits to Basle to promote watches and jewellery, and to the Middle East to sell general consumer products. Groups