194
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 18TH MARCH, 1871.
3. The two Marine Sorters previously employed on the line between Hongkong and Shanghae have been withdrawn for general duty in this Office, and arrangements have been made for completely sorting the Mails for Shanghae before they leave Hongkong. By this change of system the resi dents of Shanghae obtain the advantage of having their letters, by both the English and French Packets, delivered immediately on arrival, and this without extra charge, the alteration having been made with a view to discourage the transmission of letters outside the Mails. Similar arrangements have been made at the British Post Office at Shanghae to enable the letters for Hongkong to be despatched ready for immediate delivery on their reaching this Office. The Imperial Postinaster General has withdrawn the Officers employed in sorting the homeward Indian, China and Australian Mails, on board the Mediterranean Packets, the Mails from Hongkong are now therefore, subdivided in this Office, so as to facilitate the arrangements made for sorting them on their arrival in England.
4. The Director General of the Posts in France has consented to a proposal to send Closed Mails by the French Packets between this Office and the British Post Offices at Shanghae and Yokohama, instead of torwarding the correspondence for the community at those Settlements in the Mails for the French Post Offices, thereby accelerating the delivery of the local correspondence.
5. Sanction having been obtained to the Mails from London for Shanghae and Yokohama which are brought to Hongkong by French Packet being delivered over to this Office, advantage has been taken of one or two opportunities of sending the Mails forward to Shanghae earlier than they would have reached their destination by the branch French Packet for Shang hae.
6. Arrangements have been completed under which correspondence brought from Batavia by French Packet to Singapore is sent to this Office by the first Packet leaving for Hongkong, instead of, as formerly, awaiting the departure of the next French Packet to China, which involved, in some cases, a delay of twenty days.
7. Arrangements have been completed under which British Closed Mails between Hongkong and Nagasaki, and between Hongkong and Hiogo, are conveyed from Shanghae and Yokohama respec- tively by means of the United States' Mail Packets; the demand made by the United States' Post Office for their conveyance has however necessitated a small extra rate of postage on correspondence thus conveyed, but the advantages gained for the Public by these arrangements are manifest.
8. The hour of despatch of the homeward British Mail Packets from Hongkong has been advan- tageously changed from 9 A.M. to Noon, making it conform to the hour of despatch of the French
Packet 3.
9. With a view to averting the inconvenience which has sometimes been experienced here on account of the late arrival of the British Mail Packets from Yokohama, their departure from Yokohama has been made one day earlier than formerly.
10. The scale of progression of weight having half an ounce for its unit has been extended to let- ters sent between the British Post Offices in China and Japan, and Manila, Batavia, Saigon, Pondi- cherry, Bangkok, Labuan, Singapore, Penang, Malacca, Ceylon, India, Aden, Suez, Malta and the Ionian Islands; Gibraltar, and Spain and Portugal viâ Gibraltar.
11. The reduction of the fee upon Registered Letters from six pence to four pence in 1866 was confined to Letters to and from the United Kingdom, but during the past year, this reduction has been applied to Registered Letters addressed to any British Colony, or Foreign Country in transit through the United Kingdom; for instance a letter addressed to the United States of America can now be registered through to its destination for a fee of 16 cents instead of 24 cents as formerly.
12. In July the outward French Mail Packets commenced to leave Marseilles every alternate Sunday, instead of every fourth Sunday, and a fortnightly French service was also begun on this side, thus affording, in conjunction with the Packets of the Peninsular and Oriental Company, a weekly Mail service to and from the United Kingdom, but soon after the commencement of hostilities between France and Prussia the French line was reduced to one Packet each way every twenty-eight days.
13. Soon after the breaking out of the war between France and Prussia the difficulties attending the transmission of the Mails through France were such as to necessitate the outward Mails being sent, by way of Belgium and the Brenner to Brindisi, for transmission thence by Italian Packet; the Homeward Mails followed the same route.
14. The number of letters sent between the United Kingdom and Hongkong by means of the unsubsidized Steamers proceeding through the Suez Canal has been very inconsiderable.
15. Negotiations are being carried on having for their object a regular exchange of direct Mails between Hongkong and Brindisi, including of course on the one side, correspondence for Italy and the Continent from China and Japan, and on the other, letters from Italy and the States. beyond for Hongkong, China, and Japan.
16. The rates of Commission on Money Orders issued in the United Kingdom on Hongkong, Shanghae and Yokohama have been increased, and although the Commission on Money Orders issued at these places on the United Kingdom has also been increased, the charges are still much less than those made at home. So far, the Revenue derived to the Colony by the introduction of the Money Order system has been unremunerative.
*