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COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA
Hong Kong has a reliable and efficient postal service. Two mail deliveries are generally provided each weekday in the urban and industrial areas and one delivery elsewhere in the territory. Despite the continuous increase in the volume of letters handled, the Post Office can still achieve its target of delivering most local letter mail within 24 hours of posting.
The scheme to provide door-to-door delivery service to villages in the New Territories with official house numbers was completed during 1982, and mail delivery in general was extended to meet the demand arising from Hong Kong's continued housing and commercial development. In order to cope with this expansion in service and the greater number of staff involved, two delivery sections moved to larger premises. In April the delivery office of the Tsuen Wan Post Office moved to Kwai Chung, and in May the new Kwun Tong delivery office commenced operation in Ngau Tau Kok. In addition, seven post offices and one new mobile post office were opened during the year, bringing the total number of post offices to 90.
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During 1982, a total of 511 million letters and parcels a daily average of 1.4 million - was handled, representing an increase of 11.5 per cent over 1981.
Air letter and air parcel traffic have shown two opposite trends. The total number of air letters posted increased by 7.5 million, whereas there was a drop in the number of air parcels despatched. An average of 27 tonnes of mail was handled at the airport each day including three tonnes of mail in transit through Hong Kong.
The Speedpost service, introduced in 1973, has proved to be popular and now extends to 20 postal administrations - Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Japan, Kuwait, Macau, Malaysia, the Netherlands, South Africa, South Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States. During the year 384 000 items were handled, representing an increase of 25 per cent over the preceding year. A new cheaper initial weight step of 250 grams was introduced in August.
Local letter and printed paper postage rates were revised on July 1 to take account of increased handling costs. The basic letter rate was increased from 20 cents to 30 cents, the first increase in this rate for over seven years.
Telecommunications Services
As a leading financial, commercial and industrial centre in Asia, Hong Kong depends on efficient and reliable telecommunications both within the territory and internationally. Telecommunications services are provided by two local companies, Hong Kong Telephone Company Limited and Cable and Wireless (Hong Kong) Limited.
The Postmaster General is the Telecommunications Authority and he administers the Telecommunication Ordinance which governs the establishment and operation of all telecommunications services. He also acts as adviser to the government on matters concerning the provision and operation of public telecommunications services and the technical aspects of radio and television broadcasting.
The Post Office manages the radio frequency spectrum to ensure that it is utilised efficiently, and grants licences, under the Telecommunication Ordinance, for all forms of radio communication within Hong Kong. It maintains surveillance of the radio frequency bands to detect illegal transmissions and interference emanating from sources within and around the territory. It also conducts inspections of ships' radio stations to ensure compliance with the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.
In addition, the Post Office provides advisory and planning services for the communica- tions requirements of government departments, and co-ordinates and regulates the use