182
The decrease in "Working Expences" is due principally to the fact that certain promotions were kept open on the retirement of the Messrs. BARRADAS, and were not filled up until the current year, partly also to economies effected in the staff towards the end of 1894.
The total revenue shows the handsome balance of $50,209 over expenditure, as against $8,820 for the previous year.
7. Table F shows the numbers of parcels despatched to Europe by the P. & O. vessels, with the amounts of postage and insurance fees collected.
8. The Cape of Good Hope joined the Postal Union on the 1st January, and the postage to that country was reduced in consequence.
9. An arrangement was concluded for the insurance of parcels to India to take effect from 1st January, 1896. The conditions are published in the Government Gazette of 7th December, 1895.
10. A Parcels Post to Brisbane riâ Colombo came into force on the 1st July. The conditions will be found in the Government Gazette of 29th June.
11. A l'arcels Post to Canada viâ Vancouver was also arranged, and took effect from the 1st October. The conditions will be found in the Government Gazette of 14th September, 1895.
12. A Parcels Post to New Zealand via Colombo is under consideration and will, I hope, shortly be arranged.
13. The present Post Office is utterly inadequate for the requirements of the Colony. So far back as Mr. LISTER's time and frequently during my tenure of office the necessity for a new office has been urged upon the Government. (See Postmaster General's reports for 1887, 1888, 1889, 1890, 1891 and 1893.) The work of the office continues rapidly increasing, and it is hoped that the erection of the new office, which I understand is in contemplation, will be pushed forward with all possible celerity. The rate at which the business of the Post Office is increasing also renders it desirable that the dimensions of the new office should be far in advance of actual present requirements.
14. I would draw attention to the extreme inconvenience which is caused by the shortness of the stay made at this port by the outward French mail, which frequently arrives on the same morning that the homeward mail leaves, and leaves again the same afternoon after a stay of from 8 to 10 hours. In that time the homeward has to be sorted, the outward mail prepared and despatched, and the Shanghai and Coast and Northern mails sorted. The result is that there is not always time to sort the whole of the Shanghai mail, which has therefore frequently to be despatched only partly sorted. All this inconvenience might be obviated if the French authorities could be induced to allow the mails▪ to be sorted on board the steamer, on her way up from Singapore, by an officer of this department as is done on the English mail. Such an arrangement was actually completed at one time (see my reports for 1889, 1890 and 1891); but the French authorities suddenly withdrew the privilege. I think the time has arrived when the question should be re-opened.
15. Messrs. T. and C. BARRADAS resigned their posts on the 24th January.
16. Messrs. A. SILVA and S. MoonE joined the departinent as junior clerks on the 4th March.
17. The Messageries Maritimes steamship Melbourne was detained at Saigon in May on account◄ of fire, and her mails were brought on by the S. S. Manche.
18. The Messageries Maritimes S. S. Yarra was detained at Colombo in June, and the S. S. Rosetta brought her mails to Hongkong.
19. The telegraph office has been transferred to the offices of the Eastern Extension Australasia and China Telegraph Company.
20. The Agencies at the Coast Ports have been managed satisfactorily, with the notable excep; tion of Hankow, the Agent at which port has given an infinite amount of trouble by his repeated delay in forwarding his accounts, and neglect to reply to numerous letters from this office on that and other subjects.
21. The question of illicit Chinese Post Office has again occupied the attention of the Govern- ment, and a large number of Chinese who were found to be illegally forwarding correspondence to Manila, Haiphong, Bangkok, and other places were warned that from and after the 1st January, 1896. the law would be rigorously enforced, and the exceptionally large sale of stamps in December would seem to indicate that the action taken has proved efficacious.
22. Since the 5th October the following classes of correspondence have been delivered without extra charge:-
(a) Correspondence posted on the high seas in the letter box on board a vessel, or placed in the hands of the commander provided the postage is prepaid by means of the postage stamps and according to the tariff of the country to which the vessel belongs or by which it is maintained.