HONGKONG.
363
No. 20
99
No. 63.
REPORT OF THE ACTING POSTMASTER GENERAL FOR 1898.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor,
GENERAL POST OFFICE,
HONGKONG, 5th May, 1899.
SIR, I have the honour herewith to furnish the following report on the British Postal Service in Hongkong and China for the year 1898.
2. Approximate statistics of correspondence received and despatched during the year are given. 3. These figures are arrived at from statistics taken in October last. Compared with 1897 the amount of international correspondence shows an increase of 734,460 covers apportioned as follows:-
Ordinary letters and postcards....
Newspapers and other articles,
Registered articles,
Total,
Despatched.
Received.
.285,460
292,900
70,880
8,010
13,170
64,040
.369,510
364,950
734,460
4. Local correspondence shows a decrease of 26,930 covers apportioned as follows :—
Ordinary letters and postcards,.
Newspapers and other articles,
Registered articles (Increase),
Despatched. 7,970
Received.
3,450
10,980
3,160
120
1,490
Total,
.18,830
8,100
26,930
Note.-By Local correspondence is meant Correspondence with the Agencies where Chinese Post Offices are now established. The Local deliveries, (insular and peninsular Correspondence), have increased by 3,790 covers.
5. Table B. gives the monthly sale of stamps at Hongkong as compared with 1897, showing an increased sale of $51,736.27, an average monthly sale of over $19,400 as against a little over $15,000
in 1897.
6. Table C. gives the statistics of parcels received and despatched, and Tuble D. the comparison with 1897.
New Year.
Outward,
Inward,
J 1897,
Christmas. 504
?
1,279
1898...... 945 1899,.
824
702
887
1898, 1899,1,307
987
1898...
1897.
1898,
The mail which arrived in Hongkong from London on the 9th January, 1899; was heavier than either, viz., 1,357 parcels.
7. Table E., giving the revenue and expenditure for the year, compared with 1897 shows a nett increase in the revenue of $68,563.50 and in the expenditure of $34,480.83; the balance of revenue over expenditure being $95,618.47, an increase of $34,082.27 above that shown in 1897.
The establishment of penny postage; reduction of the local rate from 10 cents to 4 cents per half ounce, with the United Kingdom, its dependencies and Canada, has been estimated by my pre- decessor to probably cause a loss of $30,000 during the current year. It has certainly enhanced the volume of correspondence very largely, accentuating the want of space in the building, and heavily increasing the duties of an already insufficient staff.