XN000022-1986-01-18 — Page 6

5

SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 1986

WARNING THAT THE ISSUES PRESENTED BY SMOKING WERE CONTINUALLY CHANGING, HE SAID: +WE MUST BEAR IN MIND THAT THERE IS A RICH AND POWERFUL INDUSTRY WHICH IS DETERMINED TO ENSURE THAT THE GAINS MADE IN RECENT YEARS ARE REVERSED.+

RECALLING THE WORK DONE BY THE GOVERNMENT IN THIS AREA IN THE PAST, MR CHAMBERS NOTED THAT THERE WAS A 39 PER CENT DECLINE IN PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION OF CIGARETTES BETWEEN 1980 AND 1984 SUPPORTING THE DOWNWARD TREND OF THE NUMBER OF DAILY SMOKERS BORNE OUT BY SURVEYS.

THE LATEST SURVEY CONDUCTED IN JULY 1984 ESTIMATED THAT THE NUMBER OF DAILY SMOKERS HAD DECLINED BY 144 000 OR 16 PER CENT FROM THE LEVEL OF TWO YEARS PREVIOUSLY.

THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DAILY SMOKERS, AT 745 000 OR 18.7 PER CENT OF THE POPULATION AGED 15 AND OVER, REMAINED LOW BY WORLD STANDARDS, AND THERE WERE PARTICULARLY LOW INCIDENCES OF SMOKING AMONG WOMEN AND YOUNG PEOPLE, MR CHAMBERS SAID.

HOWEVER, DEATHS FROM LUNG CANCER CONTINUED TO RISE.

IN 1984,

2 128 PEOPLE IN HONG KONG DIED FROM LUNG CANCER. AN INCREASE OF OVER 16 PER CENT ON THE FIGURE OF FOUR YEARS PREVIOUSLY, THOUGH THERE HAD BEEN SOME LEVELLING OFF IN THE NUMBER WHO DIED FROM ISCHAEMIC HEART DISEASE.

+AS WE KNOW, IT TAKES SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE REDUCTION IN SMOKING PATTERNS ARE REFLECTED IN FEWER DEATHS FROM SMOKING- RELATED DISEASES, HE SAID.

VIEWS ON TEACHING CODE SOUGHT ****

THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR MICHAEL LEUNG, TODAY (SATURDAY) CALLED ON TEACHERS ASSOCIATIONS TO PUT FORWARD THE IR VIEWS AND SUGGESTIONS ON THE PROPOSED +CODE OF PRACTICE FOR THE TEACHING PROFESSION+ TO THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT'S WORKING GROUP FOR CONSIDERATION.

SPEAKING AT THE HONG KONG TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONFERENCE, MR LEUNG SAID THE CODIFICATION OF TEACHING PRACTICE WAS RECOMMENDED IN THE EDUCATION COMMISSION REPORT NO. 1 WHICH AIMED TO FOSTER A SENSE OF PROFESSIONALISM BY ENCOURAGING TEACHERS, PRINCIPALS, SCHOOL MANAGEMENTS AND SPONSORS TO CO-OPERATE, THROUGH THE CO-ORDINATION OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.

THE CODE OF PRACTICE WOULD SET THE ETHICAL STANDARDS OF CONDUCT FOR TEACHERS IN CARRYING OUT THE IR DUTIES AND ALL TEACHERS WOULD BE EXPECTED TO SUBSCRIBE TO IT, HE SAID.

THE COMMISSION'S