TUESDA
JUNE 4, 1985
TURNING TO THE PORTAL SIDE OF HIS DEPARTMENT, MR ARDLEY SAID THE PRESENT SORTING SYSTEM IN HONG KONG OPERATED ON A WHOLLY MANUAL BASIS AL HOUGH THERE WERE SOME MECHANISED AIDS IN THE FORM OF CONVEYORS TO TRANSPORT BULK MAIL BETWEEN SOME PROCESSING POINTS.
+OUR VOLUME OF MAIL INCREASES AT AN AVERAGE RATE OF ABOUT 10 PER CENT A YEAR AND ACCORDINGLY, OUR STAFFING AND ACCOMMODATION REQUIREMENTS FOR SORTING CONTINUALLY INCREASE,+ HE SAID.
IN 1974-75, STAFF COSTS REPRESENTED 35 PER CENT OF TOTAL EXPENDITURE AND THIS) FIGURE HAD RISEN TO TODAY'S 44 PER CENT.
+THUS THE COST-PROPORTION CONTINUES TO GROW IN RELATION TO OTHER FORMS OF EXPENDITURE AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO WHILE A WHOLLY MANUAL SORTING SYSTEM IS RETAINED BY THE DEPARTMENT,+ HE ADDED.
MR ARDLEY WARNED, HOWEVER, THAT IF A MANUAL SORTING SYSTEM WAS RETAINED, THE STANDARD OF LETTER MAIL SERVICE PRESENTLY ENJOYED IN HONG KONG MIGHT DECLINE.
HE REVEALED THAT THE POST OFFICE HAD COMMISSIONED THE BRITISH POSTAL CONSULTANCY SERVICE LAST YEAR TO ADVISE ON THE NEED, VIABILITY AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF INTRODUCING ELECTRONIC LETTER SORTING IN HONG KONG.
A LETTER MECHANISATION SYSTEM USING OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION (OCR) FACILITIES HAS BEEN PROPOSED. THE EQUIPMENT WOULD READ ADDRESSES TYPED OR MACHINE PRINTED IN ROMAN TYPE, WHICH REPRESENTED ABOUT 50 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL LETTER MAIL TRAFFIC.
+UNDER THIS SYSTEM, LETTERS WOULD BE FED INTO THE OCR EQUIPMENT WHICH WOULD ELECTRONICALLY READ THE LAST FOUR LINES OF THE ADDRESS. A CODE OF THAT ADDRESS WOULD THEN BE PRINTED ON THE ENVELOPE IN LUMINESCENT INK SO THAT ALL SUBSEQUENT SORTING PROCESSES COULD BE DONE AUTOMATICALLY, + MR ARDLEY SAID.
LETTERS REJECTED BY THE OCR SORTING EQUIPMENT BECAUSE THE ADDRESS WAS UNREADABLE WOULD BE DIVERTED TO CODING DESKS WHERE OPERATORS WOULD READ THE ADDRESSES AND TYPE THE RELEVANT ADDRESS CODE ON THE ENVELOPES.
MR ARDLEY SAID THAT IT HAS BEEN ESTIMATED THAT THE TOTAL COST OF THE EQUIPMENT WOULD BE ABOUT $100 MILLION AND THAT SAVINGS COULD BE EXPECTED OF $14 MILLION IN 1987-88, RISING TO $20 MILLION IN 1993-94.
+WE ARE ABOUT TO SEEK FINANCIAL APPROVAL FOR THIS PROJECT AND, IF APPROVAL IS GRANTED IN THE CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR. THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE IMPLEMENTATION DATE WOULD BE 1987, HE ADDED.
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