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MONDAY, JULY 21, 1975
NEW SHAPE COINS PRESENT NO PROBLEM FOR COIN-COUNTING MACHINES
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LOCAL BANKS, PUBLIC TRANSPORT COMPANIES AND OTHER MAJOR COIN USERS WILL HAVE LITTLE DIFFICULTY IN HANDLING THE NEW SCALLOP-EDGE $2 AND 20-CENT COINS IN LARGE QUANTITIES.
A SURVEY SHOWS THAT MOST OF THE COIN-COUNTING MACHINES NOW IN USE THROUGHOUT HONG KONG CAN TAKE THE NEW SHAPE COINS WITH ONLY SLIGHT MODIFICATIONS.
A SPOKESMAN FOR A LEADING BANK WHICH HAS TRIED OUT THE NEW COINS SAID MOST OF THEIR COIN-COUNTING MACHINES WORK SATISFACTORILY WITH THE SCALLOP-EDGE COINS,
+THE ONLY MODIFICATION REQUIRED IS AN ADJUSTMENT OF THE THICKNESS OF THE SLIT AND THE WIDTH OF THE COIN-CONVEYOR DELT IN THE MACHINE TO SUIT THE SIZE OF THE NEW COINS,+ HE SAID.
THE NEW COINS, WHICH WILL COME INTO CIRCULATION ON AUGUST 18, CANNOT BE USED IN COIN-OPERATED MACHINES ACTIVATED BY EITHER $1, 50-CENT OR TEN-CENT COINS.
BUT EVENTUALLY, PARKING METRES, STAMP, FOOD AND SOFT-DRINK VENDING MACHINES WILL HAVE TO BE CONVERTED TO ACCEPT THE NEW SMALLER-SIZED $1 AND 50-CENT COINS DUE TO BE INTRODUCED IN PHASES TOGETHER WITH THE $5 COINS OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
TO COPE WITH THE NEW $1 AND 50-CENT COINS, THE ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT HAS DRAWN UP A TENTATIVE PLAN TO CONVERT ALL THE PARKING METRES TO COINCIDE WITH THE PISED NEW COIN INTRODUCTION PROGRAMME,
THE SHAPE AND SIZE OF ALL THE NEW COINS INCLUDING THE $5 PIECE HAS BEEN TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION BY THE MASS TRANSIT PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY IN WRITING UP SPECIFICATIONS FOR ITS AUTOMATIC TICKET VENDING MACHINES,
THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY, NOW LOOKING INTO THE POSSIBILITY OF INSTALLING AUTOMATIC FARE COLLECTION SYSTEMS TO COPE WITH THE ANTICIPATED INCREASE OF PASSENGERS WHEN THE SHATIN RACECOURSE BECOMES OPERATIONAL, ALSO TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE SHAPE OF THE NEW COINS.
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NOTE TO EDITORS: COPIES OF A PHOTOGRAPH SHOWING A COIN-COUNTING
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MACHINE USING THE NEW COINS IS AVAILABLE FOR COLLECTION FROM THE G.I.S. PRESS ROOM, 6TH FLOOR, BEACONSFIELD HOUSE.
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