WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 1986
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APPROVAL FOR HIGHER FARE CEILINGS FOLLOWED CAREFUL ANALYSIS OF THE TRADE'S OPERATING ECONOMICS IN 1985. IT WAS FOUND THAT SINCE THE LAST SURVEY IN 1982, OVERALL OPERATING COSTS PER GREEN MINIBUS HAD GONE UP 12 PER CENT WHILE THE REGIONAL INCREASE FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES WAS ONE PER CENT.
FARE CEILINGS FOR GREEN MINIBUS SERVICES WERE LAST REVISED IN JULY 1982.
BRIEFING ON TOKYO SUMMIT
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THE JAPANESE DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER, MR SHINICHI YANA I CALLED ON SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, DEPUTY TO THE GOVERNOR, AT THE GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT TODAY (WEDNESDAY) TO BRIEF HIM ON THE RECENT TOKYO SUMMIT.
HONG KONG IS THE SECOND STOP IN MR YANAI'S ASIAN TOUR TO BRIEF LEADERS OF SEVEN GOVERNMENTS ON THE SUMMIT.
MR YANAI ARRIVED SHORTLY BEFORE NOON TODAY FROM SEOUL AND WILL LEAVE FOR JAKARTA LATER THIS AFTERNOON.
RESULTS OF LATEST CIGARETTE SURVEY RELEASED *****
MORE THAN HALF OF THE BRANDS OF CIGARETTES ON SALE IN HONG KONG WERE OF +LOW TAR AND LOW TO MIDDLE TAR+, ACCORDING TO A SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE GOVERNMENT CHEMIST IN THE SIX-MONTH PERIOD STARTING AUGUST 1985.
THE SURVEY WAS THE SIXTH OF AN ON-GOING SERIES OF TESTS CARRIED OUT SINCE 1983. THE FINDINGS PROVIDE CIGARETTE SMOKERS WITH INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE INHALING AND ENABLE THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY TO HAVE OFFICIAL TAR GROUP DESIGNATIONS FOR THE IR BRANDS.
A TOTAL OF 107 BRANDS OF CIGARETTE SAMPLES WERE INITIALLY DRAWN FOR THE SURVEY, BUT TWO BRANDS HAD SUBSEQUENTLY WITHDRAWN FROM THE LOCAL MARKET AND INCOMPLETE SAMPLES WERE DELIVERED BY 14 BRANDS OVER THE SIX MONTHS TESTING PERIOD.
RESULTS OF THE LATEST SURVEY, TO BE ADVERTISED TOMORROW (THURSDAY), CLASSIFIED 91 SAMPLE BRANDS INTO ONE OF THE FIVE TAR GROUPS RANGING FROM +LOW TAR+ TO +HIGH TAR+.
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