43. As in previous years, a temporary post office was set up to provide service to visitors to the Chinese Manufacturers' Association Exhibition at Hung Hom from 3rd December, 1968 to 6th January, 1969.
Overseas Services
44. The distribution of outgoing mail between air and surface services was nearly identical with last year. Letter category items by air were again 50% higher than the number by surface means whereas only a small proportion of lower rate articles-printed papers, samples etc.-travelled by air.
45. Parcel postings showed a similar trend to air, for although the total numbers despatched by both means increased the greater part of the additional traffic went to air parcels. The combined outward traffic passed the 1.9 million mark, an overall increase of 5.5%. Of the total, 37.5% were air parcels. Inward parcels neared the half million mark, of which 27% came by air.
46. The growing quantities of air mail and air parcel traffic dealt with at the Air Mail Centre at Hong Kong Airport have given rise to accommodation problems there and ways are being examined to transfer some of the outward sorting processes to relieve the pressure.
47. As the volume of overseas mail grows so does the need arise to extend the range of despatches made to places abroad and to expand the mail sorting arrangements to ensure speediest treatment within the countries of destination. Shortage of space in the present main sorting installation is tending to limit this expansion. Within these confines, however, the range of mails has been kept continually under review and opportunity taken to create fresh mail outlets as soon as they are warranted.
48. A growing feature of surface mail postings is the considerable quantities of promotional mailing now being handled, both inward and outward. Lists of addressees both in Hong Kong and abroad, are now fairly widely obtainable from firms specializing in this form of business and are increasingly used for the sending of unrequested advertising material. Hong Kong with its progressive printing industry and low postage rates provides an attractive base for these mailing operations.
49. Overseas mail services, generally, operated smoothly and with- out interruption throughout the year apart from temporary suspension
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