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Wednesday, January 30, 1974
DIFFERENCE OF AIR MAIL RATES
Between Hong Kong And United States
The Financial Secretary, the Hon. Philip Haddon-Cave, said today
that different postage rates between one country and another was the result
of different charges made by airlines for carrying mail.
He was replying to a question by Dr. the Hon. Sze-yuen Chung
who asked why it cost HK$2 to send an airmail letter to the United States
while the rate in the reverse direction was only US$0.21 (HK$1.05).
Mr. Haddon-Cave said: "It is common to find dissimilar posluge rutes
between one country and another, depending on the direction in which the mil
was travelling.'
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Indeed, he said, a number of examples could be quoted of countries to which the air mail rates from Hong Kong were substantially cheaper than
were rates in the reverse direction.
lle said: "The major reason for these discrepancies is the different
charges made by airlines for carrying mail."
Many countries, Mr. Haddon-Cave added, had their own national airlines and it was not unusual for these airlines to carry mail originating in their own countries at very much cheaper rates than they charged to carry other
countries' mail, and in some cases at lower rates than those charged by airlines
of other countrics.
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"This is the case with the United States' airlines, which are paid
by the U.S. Post Office only a fraction of the charge which they make to the Hong Kong Post Office for carrying mail from Hong Kong to the United
Statos." he said.
He pointed