XN000022-1993-08-28+29 — Page 7

SUNDAY, AUGUST 29, 1993

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THIS SYSTEM IS THE FIRST IN THE WORLD TO USE MODERN OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION AND VIDEO CODING TECHNOLOGY WITHOUT THE BENEFIT

OF POSTCODES.

CENTRES

ADDRESS

THE MLSS, INSTALLED AT THE TWO MAJOR MAIL PROCESSING

AN AN AUTOMATIC LETTER SORTING PROCESS BY SCANNING OPERATES AND PRINTING BAR CODES ON THE ENVELOPE FOR DISTRIBUTION TO POSTMEN.

SHE SAID THOSE HANDWRITTEN ADDRESSES TOO ROUGH TO SEE OR NOT IN NORMAL FORMAT HAVE TO BE PROCESSED MANUALLY. IT WOULD CUT DOWN THE NUMBER OF ITEMS PROCESSED FROM 20,000 AN HOUR TO ONLY 1,500 AN HOUR.

LETTERS WITH IMPROPER

MANUAL

PROCESSING IS ALSO REQUIRED ON ATTACHMENT OF STAMPS,

MILLION AND

"THE POST OFFICE IS NOW TURNING AROUND MORE THAN 2.7 ITEMS EACH DAY. NATURALLY, WE RELY ON MECHANISATION AUTOMATION AS FAR AS POSSIBLE TO DO THE JOB," MRS SIU SAID.

MAIL

"WITH PUBLIC CO-OPERATION, I AM SURE THAT MAIL CAN BE PROCESSED MORE EFFICIENTLY AND THAT IT CAN REACH ADDRESSES FASTER, SHE ADDED.

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WISHING TO OBTAIN FURTHER INFORMATION ON. HOW TO HELP IMPROVE THE SERVICE MAY CALL THE POST OFFICE ENQUIRY BUREAU

FROM OR READ THE GUIDANCE BOOKLETS WHICH CAN BE OBTAINED FREE POST OFFICES.

OVER 5 MILLION PEOPLE CONSULT CNTA'S ENQUIRY SERVICE

THE PUBLIC ENQUIRY SERVICE CENTRES OF THE CITY AND NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION (CNTA) SERVED MORE THAN 5.2 MILLION PEOPLE DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THIS YEAR.

THIS ALSO INCLUDED THE NUMBER OF ENQUIRIES

CENTRAL TELEPHONE ENQUIRY CENTRE ADMINISTRATION'S

64.806.

HANDLED BY THB (CTEC), TOTALLING

THE CENTRES SERVED ABOUT 4.4 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR, A CNTA SPOKESMAN SAID TODAY (SUNDAY).

THE 20 CENTRES, LOCATED CONVENIENTLY THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY, PROVIDE A WIDE RANGE OF SERVICES TO THE PUBLIC SUCH AS ADMINISTERING DECLARATIONS AND OATHS, MAKING REFERRALS UNDER THE FREE LEGAL ADVICE SCHEME AND THE RENT OFFICER SCHEME.

THEY ALSO HELP IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF GOVERNMENT FORMS, LEAFLETS AND VARIOUS PUBLICITY MATERIALS AND HANDLE GENERAL ENQUIRIES ON GOVERNMENT SERVICES.

A TOTAL OF 237,873 DECLARATIONS AND OATHS WERK ADMINISTERED FROM JANUARY TO JUNE THIS YEAR, THE MORE POPULAR TOPICS BRING DECLARATIONS OF TRUE COPY OF DOCUMENT AND FOR THE PURPOSES OF EDUCATION, EXAMINATION AND EMIGRATION.

/DURING THE