Registrar-Generals-Department-Annual-report-1970-1971 — Page 76

pared with 75,591 in the previous year. Most of the copies were made for the use of the Department and other Government Departments, but fees were collected in respect of copies of public records supplied to the public.

217. The Department also has a Microfilm Unit which undertakes microfilming work for the various registries and sub-registries. During the year the Unit microfilmed 1,782 new trade mark certificates of registration and 4,002 trade mark alterations. The film records are mounted on aperture cards and can be read by means of an Archival Reader, which projects an enlarged image on to an illuminated screen. With the indexing system now in use any trade mark can be located and projected on to the viewing screen in less than ten seconds. Dry positive photo-copies of 8" by 5" can be produced on a Viewer- Printer in about six seconds. The Unit also completed the microfilming of more than 18,500 pages of births and deaths registration records and more than 18,800 films were mounted on indexed aperture cards to facilitate searching and viewing. Current pages of registration records are microfilmed by a mobile team which makes regular fortnightly visits to all registries including those in the New Territories. These microfilm records are deposited in the General Register Office, where all records of births and deaths in the Colony are centralized.

Social and Welfare

218. The Department has a Charitable and Benevolent Fund supported by voluntary contributions from members of the staff of the rank of Class I Clerk and above, but no levy has been made since 1962-63. During the year an interest-free loan was made to a member of the staff and at the end of the year the amount of the fund was $1,370.

219. Towards the end of the year Government introduced a Service- wide scheme under which staff welfare fund will be allocated to Departments—

(a) to assist officers with a monthly salary of $1,722 per month or

below who may need relief, and

(b) to assist Departments in organizing recreation for staff.

220. Apart from the usual informal Christmas Eve party held in the Land Office, where representatives from other branches met to exchange seasonal greetings, the year was again a quiet one for the Department as far as recreational and social activities were concerned.

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