106 THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 2ND FEBRUARY, 1889.
and expressed in sterling is diminished by more than one fourth. I feel convinced that His Excellency the Governor will at once admit the justice of their request which is that their salaries should be raised to such a sum in dollars as will fairly represent the amount of £100 per annum more especially now that the question of handing over our Agencies to the Customs, seems further off than ever, and it is probable that the postal work will for many years continue. as it has always been, in the hands of the Assistant at Her Majesty's Consulate. Our Ainoy Agent in particular has a deal of work to get through as the following statistics show.
During the year 1888 the gross revenue collected by him amounted to $10,849.68 made up as follows:-
Sale of Stamps,
Sale of Postal Notes,
Collected on Unpaid Letters..
do. on short paid parcel.
Profit on remittance,
Boxholders subscription,
.$ 9,185.06
1,431.75
205.22
.25
17
10.00
$10,849.68
The sale of Postage stamps for the 12 months amounted to $9,185.06 against $7,837.81 in 1887 being an increase of $1,347.25.
the
The following tables show the number of registered articles and parcels received and sent during years 1887 and 1888:
Received.
Registered Articles,
Foreign Parcels,...
Sent.
Registered Articles,
Foreign Parcels,
1887.
$1888.
4,831
5,715
178
207
1887.
1888.
5,362 159
5,353 147
The sale of Postal Notes during 1888 amounted to $1,431.75 against $1,312.58 in 1887, being an increase of $119.17. The business of that Agency as well as all the others is increasing every year.
Direct mails for Manila have already given considerable additional work, and now the large steamers for Japan, Vancouver and San Francisco have commenced to call at Amoy.
If this is con- tinued a proper office will be required in the Amoy side and the number of the staff increased. A great want is also felt for two extra gigmen. Two men are not able to do the work. It frequently happens that they are called upon to pull out when a high sea is running to take the mails from some steamer anchored outside the harbour. I would suggest that as soon as the Steam Launch for this Office is ready for use our gig be renovated and sent to Amoy and two extra men allowed.
I have the honour to be,
Honourable FREDERICK STEWART, LL.D.,
Colonial Secretary,
&c.,
&c.,
&c.
APPENDIX.
(A.)
Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
ARTHUR K. TRAVERS,
Acting Postmaster General.
(Copy.)
GENERAL POST OFFICE, LONDON, January 27, 1888.
SIR,-Referring to my letter of the 5th instant I am directed by the Postmaster General to transmit to you to be laid before the Secretary of State for the Colonies some copies of a revised Time Table of the India and China Mail Services for the present year, shewing a proposed acceleration of the Mail steamers on the China line.
It will be seen that on the outward voyages the transit between Brindisi and Shanghai is less by 42-hours than the Contract time and on the homeward voyages, it is less than the Contract time by from 36 to 132 hours according to the season of the year.
The Postmaster General regrets that it has not been found possible to arrange for a departure from Hongkong at noon as desired by the Hongkong Chamber of Commerce, because in order to effect the considerable acceleration now contem- plated it is essential that the packets should arrive at Singapore at daylight and leave that port at 8 o'clock the following morning, so as to arrive at Penang on the afternoon of the following day, thus giving convenient mail hours to both Sin- gapore and Penang and a rapid transit through the Straits of Malacca.