INDUSTRY AND TRADE
their health and safety. In the field of comparative product testing, the council's work was enhanced by taking part in international joint tests. Such tests provided both substantial financial savings and suitable laboratory facilities which might not exist in Hong Kong. Extensive use was made of surveys to tap the experiences of users, particularly in evalua- ting services. This regular flow of information was published in the council's Chinese- language monthly magazine Choice, which maintained a high circulation of some 45 000 per issue. An annual English version entitled Choice Buying Guide was published for the second year with continued success.
The educational publicity campaign on 'Consumers' Right to Know', launched in 1988, continued to gain momentum in arousing the awareness of the public - consumers and traders alike – to this basic right of consumers. Continuous efforts in consumer education have increasingly prompted schools and community groups to organise projects of con- sumer interest.
The council operates 16 Consumer Advice Centres throughout the territory and during the year,
dealt with 9 473 complaints and 97 354 enquiries for consumer advice. Publicity sanction was imposed on seven shops which were subjects of frequent consumer complaints for dishonest business practices. Most shops named by the council were retailers of house- hold electrical appliances.
The Consumer Council of Hong Kong is a Council Member of the International Organisation of Consumers Unions (IOCU) and maintains strong ties with similar councils elsewhere.
Trade in Endangered Species
In Hong Kong, the importation, exportation and possession of endangered species of an- imals and plants, including parts and derivatives, are strictly regulated by the Animals and Plants (Protection of Endangered Species) Ordinance, which gives effect to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The licensing policy follows closely the principles of the convention and licences are only granted to facilitate the trade of species permissible under CITES, whereas the commercial trade in highly-endangered species is strictly forbidden.
Ivory, reptile skins imported for the leather trade and wild American ginseng roots imported for medicinal purposes, are major commodities in trade in endangered species.
In June, a number of overseas countries, including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom and some European Community countries, announced a ban on ivory imports as a result of increasing worldwide concern over the continued decline of the African elephant population in the producing countries, due to widespread poaching. As these countries represent Hong Kong's major ivory export markets, the ban had an adverse effect on the local ivory trade.
As a party to CITES, the Hong Kong government has the responsibility for taking posi- tive action in conserving the African elephant. After consulting the trade and the workers, the government announced in June that it supported the ban on the trade of new ivory. It pointed out, however, that there was still a demand for ivory products in the world market and this should best be met by the existing legal stocks rather than by killing more elephants. For the sake of conservation, and in order to be fair to those legal traders, the government strived to convince the international community that trade in existing stocks of legally-held ivory should be allowed to continue under close supervision.
To fulfil this aim, the government strengthened its already strict control by introducing such additional measures as thorough registration of all existing ivory stocks in the
95