XN000022-1982-08-24 — Page 10

TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 1982

SPEEDPOST MINIMUM RATE TO BE REDUCED BY $20

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THE MINIMUM RATE FOR SPEEDPOST PACKAGES WILL BE REDUCED BY $20 FROM MONDAY (AUGUST 30), THE POSTMASTER GENERAL,

MR A.C. HEATHCOTE, ANNOUNCED TODAY.

THE MINIMUM WEIGHT STEP FOR SPEEDPOST PACKAGES WILL BE REDUCED TO 250 G, AND THE RATES APPLICABLE TO THIS NEW WEIGHT WILL BE $20 CHEAPER THAN THE PRESENT MINIMUM RATES, HE POINTED OUT.

THIS MEANS, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO SPEEDPOST A PACKAGE TO THE UNITED STATES FOR AS LITTLE AS $64- AND RATES FOR NEARBY COUNTRIES SUCH AS SINGAPORE WILL BE AS LOW AS $52.

SPEEDPOST IS THE POST OFFICE'S PREMIUM SERVICE DESIGNED FOR THE FAST AND RELIABLE TRANSMISSION OF URGENT DOCUMENTS AND PACKAGES TO 20 OVERSEAS COUNTRIES. PACKAGES CAN EITHER BE COLLECTED AT THE SENDER'S PREMISES OR POSTED AT ONE OF THE NINE SPECIAL SPEEDPOST COUNTERS CONVENIENTLY LOCATED THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY.

MANY BUSINESS FIRMS, BANKS AND SHIPPING COMPANIES ARE REGULARLY USING SPEEDPOST TO SEND THEIR TIME-SENSITIVE DOCUMENTS, COMPUTER DATA, CHEQUES, DRAWINGS, SAMPLES AND MERCHANDISE OVERSEAS, HE SAID.

LEAFLETS ANNOUNCING THE NEW RATES ARE AVAILABLE AT ALL POST OFFICES. FURTHER DETAILS MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE POST OFFICE TELEPHONE ENQUIRY BUREAU AT TELEPHONE 5-2671222 OR BY CONTACTING THE POSTAL SERVICES REPRESENTATIVES AT 5-2671108.

SOCIAL WORKERS BUSIER NOWADAYS WITH

MATRIMONIAL COUNSELLING

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MORE MARRIED WOMEN ARE WORKING AND BECOMING FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT OF THEIR HUSBANDS.

RECORDS FROM THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT SHOW THAT THE PERCENTAGE OF ECONOMICALLY ACTIVE NEWLY-MARRIED WOMEN INCREASED FROM 79.4 PER CENT IN 1976 TO 91.5 PER CENT LAST YEAR.

THIS HAS HAD SOME ADVERSE EFFECT ON FAMILY LIFE, AS AFTER A HARD DAY'S WORK IN AN OFFICE OR A FACTORY, WORKING MOTHERS ARE LESS INCLINED TO DEVOTE AS MUCH ATTENTION AND ENERGY TO THEIR CHILDREN AND HOUSEWORK AS FULL-TIME HOUSEWIVES, SOCIAL WORKERS EXPLAINED.

CONSEQUENTLY, THE NUMBER OF DIVORCES HAS BEEN INCREASING STEADILY, AND SOCIAL WORKERS FIND THEMSELVES BUSIER NOWADAYS WITH MATRIMONIAL COUNSELLING AND EFFORTS TO KEEP THE FAMILIES TOGETHER.

/+50! THOSE *******

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