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SUNDAY, AUGUST 17, 1975
DURING THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, THE SPOKESMAN SAID, TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT CONDUCTED A TOTAL OF 82,873 DRIVING TESTS OUT OF 107,708 APPOINTMENTS. IT MEANS THAT MORE THAN 24,800 CANDIDATES FAILED TO TURN UP FOR THEIR TESTS.
+ONE REASON COULD BE THAT SOME CANDIDATES MIGHT HAVE CONSIDERED THEMSELVES NOT HAVING ENOUGH DRIVING LESSONS BY THE TIME THEIR APPOINTMENT WAS DUE,+ HE SAID.
NEW COINS CIRCULATE TOMORROW
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THE NEW 20-CENT AND $2 COINS WILL START CIRCULATING
TOMORROW (MONDAY). THE LIGHTER-WEIGHT COINS, EASILY RECOGNISABLE THROUGH THEIR SCALLOPED EDGE, CAN BE OBTAINED IN MOST BANK OFFICES.
DESPITE THE SCALLOPED EDGE, THE NEW COINS ALSO HAVE A FEW MORE DISTINCTIVE FEATURES.
ON THE OBVERSE SIDE OF THE COIN IS A NEW HEAD PORTRAIT OF THE QUEEN. IT IS THE SAME EFFIGY AS THAT USED IN THE COMMEMORATIVE GOLD COIN TO MARK THE QUEEN'S VISIT LAST MAY.
ANOTHER DISTINCTIVE FEATURE IS THE WAY IN WHICH THE WORDS +QUEEN ELIZABETH THE SECOND+ ARE PLACED ON THE SIDE DEARING THE PORTRAIT.
ON THE PRESENT COINAGE, THE WORDS START ON A LEVEL WITH THE CROWN AND RUN FROM RIGHT TO LEFT UNDER THE EFFIGY. ON THE TWO NEW COINS, THE SAME WORDING RUNS FROM LEFT TO RIGHT ABOVE THE PORTRAIT.
IN ADDITION, A PLAIN RIM IS USED IN THE NEW COINS INSTEAD OF THE PRESENT COINAGE'S MILLED EDGE.
THE REVERSE SIDE OF THE NEW COINS REMAINS BASICALLY
UNCHANGED.
THE COPPERY-COLOURED 20-CENT IS MINTED OF NICKEL BRASS WHILE CUPRO-NICKEL IS USED IN STRIKING THE SILVERY-COLOURED $2 COINS.
·
A TOTAL OF 70 MILLION 20-CENT AND 60 MILLION $2 COINS HAVE BEEN ORDERED FROM THE ROYAL MINT IN BRITAIN. THE INITIAL ISSUE COMPRISES 17 MILLION 20-CENT AND 12.25 MILLION $2 COINS.
UNDER AN AGREEMENT SIGNED DETWEEN THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND THE LLOYDS BANK INTERNATIONAL. THE GOVERNMENT RECENTLY NEGOTIATED A EURODOLLAR LOAN FOR THE EQUIVALENT OF ABOUT HK 17 MILLION PRIMARILY TO FINANCE THE PURCHASE OF THE NEW COINAGE,
THE TWO NEW COINS ARE THE FIRST IN A SERIES TO BE INTRODUCED UNDER A THREE-YEAR PHASED PROGRAMME RECOMMENDED BY THE COIN. GE REVIEW COMMITTEE.
THE OTHER NEW COINS TO BE INTRODUCED ARE A $5 COIN TO REPLACE THE $5 NOTE, AND THE SMALLER AND LIGHTER NEV $1 AND 50-CENT PIECES TO SÚPERSEDE THE EXISTING $1 AND 50-CENT COINS WHICH ARE GENERALLY CONSIDERED TOO LARGE AND HEAVY.
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