It's still months before the 2008 Spring Festival, but a recent government report forecast that due to the rising prices of fuel, it's impossible to keep train ticket prices at the same level as 2007.

It's true that railway operators are faced with higher operation costs and rising fares are a future trend. But to what extent should the fare spike keep pace with the rising oil prices? If the railway industry operates in accordance with the market rule, it's acceptable to keep the ticket prices at the level of operation costs. The key to this, however, is that railways, as well as aviation, in China are state-owned monopoly businesses and thus they need to shoulder some social responsibilities instead of focusing on profit margins.

The year 2007 has already seen too many price hikes. As the public suffers under the burden of a host of price increases, it's necessary for transport sectors to try to curb fare increases so that travel during the Spring Festival, which celebrates family reunion, can be easier for the masses.

Henan Business

Kindergarten Corruption Must Stop

Recently, the Education Bureau of Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, issued a ban on bilingual teaching using the mother tongue and a second language (usually English) in kindergartens, something that comes as a huge relief to parents both psychologically and financially.

Parents are aware enough to know that extra curricular classes are in most cases a way for kindergartens to make more money, but in order that their children will not be left behind in the competitive future environment, they have no option but to send their children to sports, dancing, painting, piano and a host of other additional classes. To stop bilingual classes is a welcome move and more of these "other" programs should be cancelled as well. A problem that arises as a consequence, however, is that once such classes are eliminated, children will have almost nothing to learn, as the entire kindergarten system is now operated in the form of extra curricular programs-so that operators can charge more.

To teach children such skills as foreign languages and painting should actually be part of the regular tuition, and it is unacceptable for kindergartens to separate these from the required curriculum and sell as special commodities.

Workers' Daily

Treat the Disease Not the Symptom

After a big fire killed 14 people in a foot massage center in Chengde City, north China's Hebei Province, on November 14, the authorities swiftly launched a sweeping inspection into local entertainment venues and Internet cafes for hidden danger points, with a view to prevent similar future incidents.

These measures are necessary, but history shows that safety campaigns seldom really help to prevent the next disaster, because almost all consequent measures are temporary in nature and are unable to cope with similar disasters should they occur. A typical example took place after a blaze claimed the lives of dozens of firefighters in Hunan Province's Hengyang City in November 2004, which was also followed by a series of rectification campaigns, yet when four years later in 2007 the city was hit by another fire, the result was again serious human and property losses.

Therefore, it's important to make safety inspections a stringent routine, so that any hidden trouble can be found out ahead of time. For the sake of life and property, the government needs to get tough on this.

Sanqin Metropolis Daily

Avoid Tragedies by Planning

After a deadly stampede in a Carrefour outlet in Chongqing earlier this November, the local government of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, announced a ban on sales promotion of daily necessities in supermarkets and marketplaces, to ensure customers' safety.

Soaring prices are increasing the economic burden on ordinary people. There is nothing wrong with markets holding regular sales promotions of everyday goods and currently no law prohibits this practice.

It's true that an oil promotion triggered the Carrefour stampede in Chongqing, but this does not necessarily mean future promotions will inevitably lead to disasters provided if they are well planned. Thus, the sales promotion ban can only make the public's life more difficult.

To effectively tackle the sales promotion issue, instead of imposing a ban on daily necessities, relevant departments should impose adequate safety measures on big retailers. More importantly, retailers should not offer reduced prices for limited periods, as it is the amount and time restrictions that eventually led to the Carrefour stampede. Only by carefully dealing with these things can we expect to see safe promotion activities.

China Youth Daily