XN000022-1982-04-06 — Page 2

TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 1982

METRICATION PROGRAMMES IN FULL SWING

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THE PROPER CHINESE TERMINOLOGY FOR METRIC UNITS WILL BE DISCUSSED, AMONG OTHER SUBJECTS, AT A SEMINAR TO BE HELD IN GUANGZHOU, CHINA FROM APRIL 27 To 30, WHICH WILL BE ATTENDED BY REPRESENTATIVES FROM HONG KONG, SINGAPORE, MACAU AND CHINA,

ANNOUNCING THIS AT A PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY (TUESDAY), PROFESSOR S.Y. KING, CHAIRMAN OF THE METRICATION COMMITTEE POINTED OUT THAT HIS COMMITTEE WAS WELL AWARE THAT THERE HAD BEEN SOME CRITICISMS OF THE PROPOSED CHINESE TERMS FOR METRIC UNITS IN HONG KONG.

HE SAID, +WE HOPE THAT BY SHARING EXPERIENCES WITH OTHER CHINESE-SPEAKING COMMUNITIES, WE WILL BE ABLE TO COME UP WITH A SET OF CHINESE UNIT NAMES WHICH ARE ALTOGETHER COMMON, PRACTICABLE AND ACCEPTABLE TO THE PEOPLE HERE AS WELL AS IN OTHER CHINESE- SPEAKING COMMUNITIES.+

PROFESSOR KING ALSO DISCLOSED THAT A SERIES OF ACTIVITIES WILL BE HELD IN EARLY 1983 TO MARK THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA - THE IMPLEMENTATION STAGE OF THE METRICATION PROGRAMMES. THESE ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE A METRIC EXHIBITION AND A +METRIC 10 DAYS+ PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN.

THE ORGANISING CHAIRMAN OF +METRIC 10 DAYS+ AND CHAIRMAN OF THE CONSUMER GOODS AND SERVICES SECTOR COMMITTEE OF THE METRICATION COMMITTEE, MISS OPHELIA CHEUNG, ALSO SPOKE AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE.

SHE SAID THAT THE SECTOR COMMITTEE HAD SO FAR ACHIEVED A GREAT DEAL IN PROMOTING METRICATION IN HONG KONG AND IT HAD SET THE PLANS FOR THE COMING YEAR.

MISS CHEUNG ALSO POINTED OUT THAT LOCAL CLOTHING PRODUCTS WOULD GO METRIC IN SEPTEMBER.

+FROM THEN ON, BODY MEASUREMENTS WILL BE IN CENTIMETRES RATHER THAN INCHES, AND NEW METRIC CLOTHING SIZES WILL BE INTRODUCED,+ MISS CHEUNG SAID.

METRICATION PROGRAMMES FOR THE PIECE GOODS, TAILORING, DAIRY AND PRE-PACKAGED FOOD INDUSTRIES ARE ALSO BEING PLANNED.

PIECE GOODS MERCHANTS AND TAILORS WILL BE SUPPLIED WITH A NEW METRE STICK AND A 50-CENTIMETRE TAILORING RULER BY THIS SEPTEMBER, JUST BE IN TIME FOR THE TRADES' METRIC CHANGEOVER, SHE SAID.

THE DAIRY PRODUCTS INDUSTRY IS ALREADY HALFWAY INTO THE METRIC SYSTEM.

+THE COMMITTEE HAS CALLED ON MANUFACTURERS TO CHANGE TO METRIC PACKAGING IN JANUARY. 1983.

/+THERE ARE