204
6. The Pillar Letter Boxes referred to in the 5th paragraph of the Postmaster General's Report on 1891 arrived, and were set up in the places suggested by him, except that one was placed at the East end of the town in Percival Street instead of near the Tramway Station. This change was made in view of the fact that letter boxes are attached to the Tramcars and the placing of a Pillar Box at the Station seemed unnecessary, and would have left the East end of the town unprovided for. The wooden Letter Box at the Police Station at Tsim Shatsui is still retained. Those formerly erected in the Peak District have been withdrawn. Collections from the Pillar Box (No. 1) at the Kowloon Wharves commenced on the 8th August, and up to the 20th the letters collected amounted to 448. The collections from Pillar Boxes (Nos. 2 to 6) at Magazine Gap and the Peak District commenced on the 12th August and up to the 20th, the letters collected amounted to 64. Unfortunately the collections from these Boxes have not been recorded separately, and they are therefore not included in the annexed Table A. which shows the number of letters collected from the Pillar Boxes in the town from August 15th, the date on which collections commenced, to the end of the year. The collections from the Pillar Boxes in the town from August 15th to 20th amounted to 201 Ïetters.
7. Table B. shews the number of letters received from and sent to Kowloon and the Peak District during the year. Up to the end of the year by the courtesy of the High Level Tramway Co., our Postmen have been allowed to travel free.
8. Telegraphic communication between the Post Office and the Light-houses at the Gap Rock and Cape D'Aguilar has been established, and operations commenced on the 1st October. From this date to the end of the year 1936 messages were received at this Office. Of this number there were 262 signals of approaching vessels from Cape D'Aguilar and 53 from Gap Rock. In some instances two or three steamers have been signalled in the same message. The messages are transmitted through the Office of the Eastern Extension Australasian and China Telegraph Co. and the Observatory to Tsimshatsui where signals are hoisted. The substance of the message is also notified on a board facing Queen's Road. The remaining 1621 messages consisted of Meteorological Observations which are received four times a day from the Gap Rock and every hour from the Peak. Communication with the Gap Rock was interrupted on October 6th from 10.50 to 11.32 A.M., and again on November 26th 6 A.M. to December 14th 7.30 A.M. The Telegraph Clerk at this Office is on duty continuously from 6 A.M., to 6 P.M., for seven days of the week on a salary of $30 per month. The hours are altogether too long. The Clerk has to be on the watch not only for signals from the Lighthouses but also for the Meteorological reports for transmission to the Observatory. Twelve consecutive hours duty is too much to demand from any one, and I am of opinion that there should be two Clerks attached to the Post Office, one to be on duty in the forenoon and the other in the afternoon. As the summer approaches and daylight consequently lengthens both in the morning and evening, the signals of passing vessels can be seen at the lighthouses at a much earlier and much later hour than 6 A.M. and 6 P.M., and the convenience to the Post Office and Shipowners of having the earliest and latest possible information of approaching vessels is obvious. But it would be unfair to expect still longer hours of duty from the clerk attached to this Office than he has already. The Clerks at the Light- houses enjoy I believe the advantage of assistance from the Lighthouse keepers in the detection of approaching vessels. The Clerk at this Office has no one to assist him in receiving the messages that come in. The appointment of another Clerk at $30 per month for duty at the Post Office can hardly be regarded as extravagant. Of course he would have to take his turn at the Lighthouses with the others.
9. Table C shows the number of Parcels received and despatched during the year. The heaviest outward mail was the New Year's Mail which consisted of 530 parcels. The heaviest inward mail was also the New Year's Mail which consisted of 832 parcels. The Christmas Mails numbered 508 parcels outward and 602 inward. The total number of parcels received and despatched in 1891 and 1892 was as follows:-
PARCELS RECEIVED.
From.
1891.
1892.
Increase. Decrease.
United Kingdom,
Germany,
Other Countries,
10,078
10,290
212
383
389
6
239
872
633
Total International,
10,700
11,551
851
Coast Ports,
2,600 3,200
600
Total,.
13,300 14,751 1,451
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