XN000022-1982-01-22 — Page 3

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 1982

POSTAGE RATE INCREASE

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THE POST OFFICE ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT BECAUSE OF RISING COSTS POSTAGE RATES FOR INLAND LETTER AND PRINTED PAPER SERVICES WILL BE INCREASED FROM JULY 1 THIS YEAR.

THE NEW RATES FOR BOTH CATEGORIES OF INLAND MAILS WILL BE 30 CENTS AT THE BASIC WEIGHT LEVELS, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 10 CENTS.

AT THE UPPER WEIGHT LEVELS, THE INCREASES WILL BE COMPARATIVELY LESS. FOR LETTERS AND POSTCARDS WEIGHING ONE KILOGRAM, FOR EXAMPLE, THE NEW RATE WILL BE $5 INSTEAD OF $4, AND FOR PRINTED PAPERS OF THE SAME WEIGHT $2 AS AGAINST THE EXISTING RATE OF $1.70.

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE POST OFFICE POINTED OUT THAT CURRENT INLAND LETTER RATES HAD REMAINED UNCHANGED SINCE 1975, AND THOSE FOR PRINTED PAPER ITEMS SINCE 1978.

THE HIGHER RATES WERE FORESHADOWED IN THE BUDGET LAST YEAR WHEN THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY REFERRED TO MARKED LOSSES ON THE INLAND SERVICE AND WARNED THAT THE RATES COULD NOT REMAIN AT THEIR CURRENT LEVELS MUCH LONGER.

THE SPOKESMAN ALSO POINTED OUT THAT THE NEW RATES WOULD STILL BE RELATIVELY CHEAPER COMPARED WITH THOSE IN SOME COUNTRIES IN THE REGION.

MOREOVER, HE SAID, A REBATE SCHEME WOULD BE INTRODUCED WHICH WILL BRING SOME RELIEF TO POSTERS OF BULK QUANTITIES OF PRINTED PAPER ITEMS,

UNDER THE SCHEME, ANYONE POSTING 3 000 OR MORE PRINTED PAPER ITEMS AT ANY ONE TIME WILL ENJOY A DISCOUNT OF 10 PER CENT ON THE TOTAL POSTAGE PAID IN RETURN FOR A DEGREE OF PRE-SORTING BY THE SENDER.

ALSO FROM JULY 1, THE CHARGES FOR THE RE-DIRECTION OF MAIL SERVICE WILL ALSO BE REVISED TO COVER THE INCREASED COST OF OPERATING THIS SERVICE.

NO CHANGE WILL BE MADE IN THE CHARGE ($60) WHICH A PRIVATE USER OF THE SERVICE HAS TO PAY, BUT BUSINESSES, WHICH ARE THE MAIN USERS OF THE SERVICE, WILL HAVE TO PAY $120 FOR EACH 12-MONTH PERIOD AFTER THE EXPIRY OF THE FIRST THREE-MONTH FREE PERIOD.

THE SPOKESMAN NOTED THAT THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF MAIL RE-DIRECTED FROM A BUSINESS ADDRESS IS MORE THAN DOUBLE THAT FROM A RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS.

/FOLLOWING IS