MONDAY, JUNE 30, 1980
POST OFFICE GOES METRIC
****
THE HONG KONG POSTAL SERVICE WILL GO METRIC ON AUGUST 5 WHEN POSTAGE RATES WILL BE BASED ON GRAMS AND KILOGRAMS AND LETTER AND PARCEL SIZES WILL BE EXPRESSED IN METRES AND MILLIMETRES.
COMMENTING ON THE CHANGEOVER, THE POSTMASTER GENERAL,
MR A.C. HEATHCOTE SAID THERE WOULD BE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN LETTER OR PARCEL POSTAGE RATES AND GENERALLY SPEAKING MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WOULD BE ABLE TO POST SLIGHTLY HEAVIER ITEMS FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF POSTAGE.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE PRESENT RATE FOR A LOCAL LETTER WEIGHING ONE OUNCE OR 28.3 GRAMS IS 20 CENTS- THE METRIC RATE WILL BE 20 CENTS FOR 30 GRAMS. BECAUSE OF THIS, IT IS NOT ANTICIPATED THAT THE PUBLIC WOULD EXPERIENCE ANY PROBLEM, HE SAID.
MR HEATHCOTE POINTED OUT THAT THERE WOULD BE NO NEED FOR THEM TO CARRY OUT CONVERSIONS FROM OUNCES TO GRAMS IMMEDIATELY. +ANYONE WHO IS IN DOUBT CAN ENQUIRE AT A POST OFFICE OR SIMPLY PAY THE SAME POSTAGE AS AT PRESENT. HE SAID. +A LIMITED GRACE PERIOD WILL BE GIVEN ON SURCHARGES TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO GET USED TO THE NEW RATES.+
LEAFLETS PUBLICISING THE NEW METRIC BASED POSTAGE RATES ARE AVAILABLE AT ALL POST OFFICES. IN THE MEANTIME BUSINESS FIRMS AND MAJOR USERS OF THE POSTAL SERVICE SHOULD TAKE STEPS TO ENSURE THAT THEIR WEIGHING SCALES ARE CALIBRATED IN METRIC UNITS.
ENQUIRIES CONCERNING THE NEW RATES MAY BE MADE AT ANY POST OFFICE OR BY RINGING THE POST OFFICE ENQUIRY BUREAU AT 5-2671222.
SHORTER DAY FOR YOUNG WORKERS ******
WITH EFFECT FROM TOMORROW (TUESDAY), THE HOURS DURING WHICH YOUNG INDUSTRIAL WORKERS AGED BETWEEN 14 AND 17 MAY BE EMPLOYED WILL BE ADJUSTED TO BETWEEN 7 AM AND 7 PM.
ANNOUNCING THIS TODAY, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT SAID THE ADJUSTMENT WAS PROVIDED FOR IN THE WOMEN AND YOUNG PERSONS (INDUSTRY) REGULATIONS 1980 WHICH WOULD BECOME EFFECTIVE TOMORROW.
UNDER THE EXISTING FACTORIES AND INDUSTRIAL UNDERTAKINGS REGULATIONS, WORKERS AGED 14 AND 15 CAN BE EMPLOYED FOR EIGHT HOURS PER DAY BETWEEN 6 AM AND 7 PM AND THOSE AGED 16 AND 17 BETWEEN 6 AM AND 8 PM.
+THESE EMPLOYMENT PERIODS ARE BEING ADJUSTED TO BETWEEN
7 AM AND 7 PM IN ACCORDANCE WITH STANDARDS SET BY THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION, THE SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED.
THE SPOKESMAN