TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1985
(C)
OUTLYING DISTRICTS PASSENGER FERRY SERVICES
THE AVERAGE FARE INCREASE FOR THIS GROUP IS ABOUT 13 PER CENT. FARES FOR ADULTS DURING WEEKDAYS WILL BE INCREASED BY AN AVERAGE OF 12 PER CENT FROM $2 - $4 TO $2.50 - $4.50 FOR THE ORDINARY CLASS AND FROM $6 TO $6.50 FOR THE DELUXE CLASS.
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THE SUNDAYS PUBLIC HOLIDAYS' FARES WILL RISE BY AN AVERAGE OF 15 PER CENT FROM $4 - $6 TO $5 - $7 FOR THE ORDINARY CLASS AND FROM $10 TO $11 FOR THE DELUXE CLASS.
THE 'SUNDAYS - PUBLIC HOLIDAYS' FARES FOR ORDINARY CLASS WILL BE EXTENDED TO SATURDAY AFTERNOONS ON ALL SERVICES IN THIS GROUP EXCEPT THE TOLO HARBOUR AND INTER-ISLAND SERVICES. IT IS EXPECTED THAT THIS EXTENSION WILL NOT AFFECT REGULAR COMMUTERS SINCE MONTHLY TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON ALL SERVICES CONCERNED, INCLUDING THE LAMMA ROUTES WHERE SUCH
TICKETS WERE INTRODUCED WITH EFFECT FROM DECEMBER 1. 1985. EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ALSO DECIDED THAT THE FARE FOR MONTHLY TICKETS ON OUTLYING ISLANDS ROUTES SHOULD REMAIN UNCHANGED AT $165.
THE HOVERFERRY FARE WILL BE INCREASED FROM $10 TO $11.
VEHICULAR FERRY SERVICES
(D)
(E)
AN INCREASE OF 13 PER CENT WILL BE IMPOSED.
FREIGHT
THE
CHARGES FOR FREIGHT WILL BE INCREASED BY A 18 PER CENT WEIGHED AVERAGE RATE. THIS WILL MEAN, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT CHARGES FOR FREIGHT CARRIED ON CROSS-HARBOUR ROUTES WEIGHING 60 KG OR OF 0.12 CUBIC METRE IN VOLUME, WILL RISE FROM $5 TO $6.
FUNDS SOUGHT FOR NEW POSTAL SORTING SYSTEM
*****
THE POST OFFICE IS HOPING TO INTRODUCE IN TWO YEARS' TIME A ECHANISED LETTER SORTING SYSTEM INVOLVING +OPTICAL CHARACTER READING- OCR - AND VIDEO CODING TECHNIQUES+.
FOR THE SYSTEM, WHICH IT HOPES TO BE ABLE TO SET UP AND OPERATE BY MAY 1988, IT WILL SEEK A LUMP SUM OF $128.33 MILLION AND ANNUAL RECURRENT SUM OF $5.72 MILLION FROM THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, WHICH WILL BE MEETING AFTER THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SITTING TOMORROW.
/PLANS FOR