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Wednesday, May 24, 1972
ACCOUNTANT GENERAL TO CONDUCT SURVEY
On Setting Up Of More Sub-Treasuries In Kowloon
The Financial Secretary, the Hon. C.P. Haddon-Cave, said today
the Accountant General will conduct a survey over the next few months
to find out if there is sufficient demand to justify the cost of setting
up one or more additional sub-Treasuries in Kowloon.
The survey, he said, will be conducted with the help of the
Secretariat for Home Affairs and the Commissioner of Census and Statistics.
He was speaking in the Legislative Council in reply to the
Hon. H.J.C. Browne, who had asked whether Government would take corrective
measures to reduce waiting times for members of the public who visit the
Kowloon Sub-Treasury to pay their bills.
Mr. Haddon-Cave said that, however, even if additional offices
wore opened, it would not be possible to reduce the waiting time at due
date periods to what could be regarded as reasonable.
The reason is that many people leave payments to the last few
days before they are due, while others who pay by cheque still prefer to
attend in person rather than use the post, he added.
However, he said, in the past few years, waiting times at the
Kowloon Sub-Treasury have been reduced as a result of a campaign carried
out by the Accountant General with the help of the Information Services
Department to persuade people who have banking accounts to pay their
bills by post.
"It is