XN000022-1976-10-01 — Page 9

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1976

+THIS POINT NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED IF THE PRESENT CURRICULUM IN PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS IS DRASTICALLY ALTERED,+ MR. WATERS SAID.

THE PRESENT PRACTICAL/TECHNICAL CONTENT IN THE CURRICULUM OF PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS ALLOWED SOME EXCELLENT PROJECT WORK TO BE DEVELOPED.

HE ADDED: +APART FROM PRACTICAL SUBJECTS, OTHER SUBJECTS, SUCH AS ENGLISH, CHINESE, MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE CAN BE INTEGRATED.+

MR. WATERS SAID PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS SHOULD NOT BE CONFUSED WITH TRADE SCHOOLS IN WHICH A SPECIFIC TRADE OR PROCESS WAS TAUGHT AND WHERE LITTLE EMPHASIS WAS PLACED ON GENERAL EDUCATION.

+ SHOULD LIKE TO REMIND YOU THAT WE IN THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ALWAYS TALK ABOUT PREVOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND NOT PREVOCATIONAL TRAINING, HE SAID.

SPEAKING ABOUT THE POPULARITY OF PREVOCATIONAL PLACES, MR. WATERS SAID THAT THE DEMAND WAS AS HIGH AS 12.7 APPLICANTS FOR EVERY ONE PLACE IN THE FOUR CARITAS PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS THIS ACADEMIC YEAR.

+THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT PREVOCATIONAL EDUCATION IS POPULAR WITH CERTAIN SECTORS OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY, + MR. WATERS SAID.

USE OF SYNTHETIC FIBRE ROPES ON BOARD SHIPS

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THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF MARINE, MR. MALCOLM ALEXANDER, TODAY DREW THE ATTENTION OF SHIP-OWNERS AND MASTERS TO THE NEED FOR PRUDENCE IN THE HANDLING OF SYNTHETIC FIBRE ROPES.

THE MOVE FOLLOWED A CASE IN WHICH TWO SEAMEN WERE RECENTLY INJURED WHEN A SYNTHETIC FIBRE ROPE BROKE WHILE THE IR VESSEL WAS TRYING TO BERTH.

ONE OF THE SEAMEN WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED WHEN HE WAS STRUCK BY THE VIOLENT RECOIL OF A BOW MOORING ROPE WHICH BROKE WHILE BEING USED TO WARP THE VESSEL ALONGSIDE ITS BERTH.

THE BREAKING OF THIS ROPE BROUGHT ADDITIONAL TENSION TO THE STERN MOORING ROPE, WHICH SLIPPED ON THE MOORING WINCH DRUM AND STRUCK ANOTHER SEAMAN, FLINGING HIM TO THE DECK.

MR. ALEXANDER SAID THAT THE MARINE DEPARTMENT HAS PUBLISHED A NOTICE ON THE USE OF SYNTHETIC ROPES FOR MOORING AND TOWING. COPIES OF THE NOTICE ARE AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE FROM THE DEPARTMENT'S ENTRY AND CLEARANCE OFFICE, 10TH FLOOR, RUMSEY STREET MULTI-STOREY CAR PARK BUILDING, CENTRAL, HONG KONG,

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