ENG-1986 — Page 292

COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA

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All films intended for public exhibition in Hong Kong must be submitted to the Panel of Film Censors, which is part of the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority. Censorship standards are drawn from ascertained community views and a panel compris- ing 90 members of the public assists the films censors in reflecting community views as to whether a film is suitable for public exhibition. During the year, 703 films were submitted for censorship (including films intended for cine-clubs and cultural organisations). Of the total number submitted, 479 were approved without excisions, 217 were approved after excisions and seven were banned. These figures do not include films intended for television use.

Printing and Publishing

The international status of Hong Kong's printing industry has continued to grow steadily in recent years, based upon a reputation for quality and economy. As a leading centre for printing and publishing, the territory's growth has led to the establishment of over 3 370 printing factories, employing around 32 130 people, and more than 200 publishing houses, including many from overseas which have set up offices or regional headquarters here. Continued growth of the industry during the year can be attributed to the confidence of employers in the future of Hong Kong, and to the relative depreciation of the Hong Kong dollar against most other currencies which has enabled Hong Kong printers to obtain more orders from overseas.

The industry constitutes seven per cent of all manufacturing establishments and four per cent of employment in the manufacturing sector. Most of the printing factories (77 per cent) are engaged in general jobbing work, and most of the remainder deal with related work, such as typesetting and bookbinding. There are also 38 newspaper printers.

Use of the latest technology, especially computerised equipment, has enabled the industry to become highly specialised. The local electronics industry contributes to the plant and equipment of the more sophisticated printing companies and also the publishers, who are becoming increasingly involved in the use of data and word-processing systems for editorial production and stock control.

The sales and marketing of data and word-processing systems are now handled by more than 100 companies offering over 200 systems. The output data can be converted or interfaced with typesetting equipment at realistic cost to provide publishers with the additional benefits of fast and cost-efficient printing. An increasing number of Chinese language word-processors are being installed to meet demand.

Domestic exports of printed matter increased in value terms by 21.4 per cent over the previous year. Material printed locally with a total value of $1,760 million was exported, with China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Taiwan being the main customers. Books and pamphlets, newspapers, journals and periodicals accounted for over 63 per cent of exports of printed products. The biggest customers for this reading material were the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia.

Overall, the printing and publishing industries contributed 1.6 per cent of the net output of the manufacturing sector.

Postal Services

Hong Kong's efficient postal service includes two mail deliveries each weekday in the urban and industrial areas, and one delivery elsewhere in the territory.

Despite the large volume of letters handled, the Post Office continued to achieve its target of delivering most local mail within 24 hours of posting. In the case of airmail postings made at the four main offices - General Post Office, Tsim Sha Tsui and Kowloon Central