XN000022-1982-04-22 — Page 4

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 1982

SIR PHILIP VISITS POST OFFICE

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THE DEPUTY TO THE GOVERNOR, SIR PHILIP HADDON-CAVE, VISITED THE POST OFFICE THIS (THURSDAY) AFTERNOON FOR A FIRST HAND LOOK AT THE DEPARTMENT.

ACCOMPANIED BY THE POSTMASTER GENERAL, MR A.C. HEATHCOTE, SIR PHILIP SAW THE WORK OF THE FREQUENCY MANAGEMENT AND TV MONITORING SECTIONS, COUNTER SERVICES AT THE GENERAL POST OFFICE AND ALSO POSTAL OPERATIONS AT THE INTERNATIONAL MAIL CENTRE IN HUNG HOM.

ONE OF THE MAIN FEATURES OF FREQUENCY MANAGEMENT IN HONG KONG IS TO ENSURE THAT RADIO FREQUENCIES ARE ALLOCATED, AND THE POWER OF TRANSMISSION CONTROLLED, TO AVOID MUTUAL INTERFERENCE OR TO THE SYSTEMS OPERATING IN NEIGHBOURING TERRITORIES, SIR PHILIP WAS TOLD.

THE TV MONITORING SECTION, HE LEARNED, WAS PRIMARILY

TO MONITOR THE PRODUCTION AND TRANSMISSION QUALITY OF BROADCASTS BY THE TELEVISION COMPANIES. IT ALSO PROVIDES TECHNICAL SUPPORT TO THE PLANNING OF TELEVISION AND SOUND BROADCAST SYSTEMS IN HONG KONG.

SIR PHILIP VISITED THE GPO COUNTER AND THE POPULAR PHILATELIC COUNTER ON THE 1ST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING BEFORE PROCEEDING TO THE INTERNATIONAL MAIL CENTRE.

BUILT AT A COST OF $57.1 MILLION, THE CENTRE IS EQUIPPED WITH SOPHISTICATED MECHANISATION SYSTEMS FOR THE HANDLING OF ALL INWARD AND OUTWARD INTERNATIONAL MAIL AND COLLECTIONS FROM STREET LETTER BOXES IN KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES AREAS.

THE FACILITIES AT THE CENTRE ENABLE THE POST OFFICE TO MAINTAIN A HIGH STANDARD OF SERVICE AND TO COPE WITH THE EVER-INCREASING VOLUME OF MAIL WHICH HAS BEEN EXPANDING AT AN AVERAGE RATE OF 13 PER CENT PER ANNUM OVER THE PAST DECADE.

LAST YEAR, SIR PHILIP WAS TOLD, THE POST OFFICE HANDLED 470 MILLION POSTAL ITEMS. A PUBLIC COUNTER WAS OPENED AT THE CENTRE ON APRIL 1 TO SERVE THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE TSIM SHA TSUI EAST AREA.