SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 1980
WATER BILLING STREAMLINED ******
THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT HAS REACHED ANOTHER MILESTONE IN ITS SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC ON COMPLETING ITS PHASE || COMPUTER ISATION OF WATER ACCOUNTS FOR NON-TRADE USERS.
THIS STAGE OF COMPUTERISATION WILL COME INTO OPERATION ON THURSDAY (MARCH 20).
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT POINTED OUT THAT ALREADY ABOUT 100 000 TRADE ACCOUNTS HAVE BEEN COMPUTERISED IN PHASE OF THE EXERCISE.
HE REVEALED THAT THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED CONSUMERS, TOTALLING SOME 900 000 AT PRESENT, IS INCREASING AT THE RATE OF SOME 5 000 A MONTH.
+ INTRODUCTION OF COMPUTERISATION WILL GREATLY ENHANCE THE BILLING SYSTEM AND WILL PROVIDE A BETTER AND MORE EFFICIENT SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS ARE IN THE SERVICE ON BILLING ENQUIRY AND IN SPEEDING UP PROCEDURES FOR BILLING AND BOOK-KEEPING.
+HOWEVER, NOT ALL DOMESTIC USERS WILL RECEIVE THEIR NEXT WATER BILL IN THE COMPUTERISED FORMAT BECAUSE THE VARIOUS WATER BILLING CYCLES ARE BEING GRADUALLY CONVERTED OVER A 16-MONTH PERIOD, HE SAID.
THOSE WHO RECEIVE THE BILL IN THE NEW FORMAT WILL ALSO RECEIVE AN EXPLANATORY NOTE EXPLAINING THE NEW FEATURES OF THE BILL.
ABOUT 60 000 DOMESTIC CONSUMERS IN 11 AREAS ON HONG KONG ISLAND AND IN KOWLOON WILL RECEIVE THEIR NEXT WATER BILL IN THE NEW COMPUTERISED FORM.
THE AREAS INCLUDE WAN CHAI, CAUSEWAY BAY, SHAM SHUI PO, SO UK ESTATE, WONG TAI SIN ESTATE, CHOI HUNG ESTATE, PING SHEK ESTATE, MA TAU WAI ESTATE, WOR LÖK ESTATE, TAI HANG TUNG ESTATE AND TAI HANG SAI ESTATE.
THE NEW BILL IS DIFFERENT FROM THE MANUALLY COMPILED ONE IN THAT IT WILL BE MORE INFORMATIVE.
IT WILL SHOW THE CONSUMER'S METER NUMBER, THE PREVIOUS READING DATE, AND THE BALANCE BROUGHT FORWARD FROM THE LAST BILL. ALL CHARGES WILL BE ROUNDED DOWN TO THE NEAREST HONG KONG DOLLAR WITH THE ODD CENTS CARRIED FORWARD TO THE NEXT BILL. THE CONSUMER WILL BE GIVEN A NEW ACCOUNT NUMBER COMPRISING 14 DIGITS.
+ONE POINT CONSUMERS SHOULD NOTE IS THAT IN THE CALCULATION OF WATER CHARGES UNDER THE NEW COMPUTERISED SYSTEM, ONE-MONTH' IS TO BE RECKONED AS EQUAL TO 30.41 DAYS. THE SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED,
/THE BILLING