Advertising

[?]an On Tobacco Advertising

From “PIM” Correspondents

The Fiji Broadcasting Com

ission has decided that when

rrent cigarette advertising con

lets expire at the end of this ar they will not be renewed.

HIS decision was reached after consideration of all the reports the link between lung cancer and ;arette smoking and after receiving vice from the Fiji Director of ;dical Services, Dr. C. H. Gurd. r years the FBC has banned yertising of liquor products.

However, the timing of the FBC’s arette announcement came in for lot of criticism.

It was made when the current yertising contracts all had more in eight months to run, and the tics pointed out that if smoking dangerous to health, then it is

as dangerous now as it Will be in eight months’ time, when the ban takes effect.

Meanwhile, until the end of this year Fiji’s radio listeners will con tinue to be told that Brand X is “Kind to Your Throat”, whatever, allegedly, it might be doing to their lungs!

Samoan Position In Western Samoa, too, cigarettes have been suffering some adverse publicity since the American cancer report was given full publicity in March.

One leading Apia store reported

that in the month following release of the report sales of pipes went up 400 per cent!

Sales of pipe tobacco are still heavy.

If all goes well, a Samoan Agri culture Department official may soon be sent to the Philippines for train ing in home cigar-making.

According to UN adviser, market ing expert J. J. van der Goes, Samoan tobacco lends itself well to cigar-making and with very little expense a thriving small scale cigar industry can be established there.

And cigars are not supposed to be as dangerous.