TRADE AND INDUSTRY
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Also, the council maintains regular contacts with its counterparts overseas and in the Mainland. During the year, 501 officials from various parts of China visited the council office as part of a training programme, apart from other visits from consumer organisations and related bodies.
The council commenced celebrating its Silver Jubilee in March with a series of commemorative activities spread throughout the year aiming to promote consumer protection and empowerment. The projects launched included the 'Consumer Rights Reporting Awards' to recognise outstanding media reporting and a 'Consumer Culture Study Award' for students to promote awareness of consumer issues while contributing to studies of the local consumer culture.
Metrication
The Government seeks to promote and facilitate the progressive adoption of the International Systems of Units (SI) in Hong Kong. The Metrication Ordinance, enacted in 1976, provides for the eventual replacement of non-metric units by SI units in all legislation in the HKSAR. Government departments use metric units. exclusively.
Over the years, the Metrication Committee has successfully promoted awareness of the metrication system. Having accomplished its mission, the Metrication Committee was dissolved in January 1998.
Printing
A reputation for good printing quality, quick and reliable delivery, and competitive prices continues to boost the international status of Hong Kong's printing industry. Hong Kong is a leading printing and publishing centre, with 5 021 printing establishments employing 44 037 people and more than 200 publishing houses, including many from overseas which have set up offices or regional headquarters in Hong Kong.
The industry constitutes 21.8 per cent of all manufacturing establishments and 18 per cent of employment in the manufacturing sector. Most of the printing factories (71.3 per cent) are engaged in general jobbing work, and most of the remainder deal with related work such as typesetting and book-binding. There are also 38 newspaper printers.
Hong Kong printers are investing substantially in advanced machinery and equipment. In recent years they have shifted the labour-intensive production processes to the Mainland. The use of state-of-the-art equipment, especially that employing digital technology, has enabled the industry to raise quality and productivity to new levels. Some more sophisticated printing companies and publishers have already started using such equipment as digital colour pre-press and printing systems.
Domestic exports of printed matter decreased in value terms by 4.5 per cent over the previous year. Material printed locally with a total value of $4 billion was exported with the USA, the Mainland, the United Kingdom, Taiwan and Australia being the major export markets. Books, pamphlets, newspapers, journals and periodicals accounted for 64 per cent of exports of printed products. Overall, the printing and publishing industries contributed 13 per cent of the manufacturing sector's gross output in 1998.