HONGKONG.
319
No. 15
1901
REPORT OF THE ACTING POSTMASTER GENERAL FOR THE YEAR 1900.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor,
No. 57.
GENERAL POST OFFICE, HONGKONG, 9th April, 1901.
SIR-I have the honour to submit the Annual Report on the Hongkong Postal Service for the year 1900.
DEPARTMENTAL CHANGES.
The Postmaster General obtained twelve months' leave of absence and left for England on the 6th March. The Assistant Postmaster General was appointed to act during his absence, and the duties of the Assistant Postmaster General were divided between the Accountant and the Superintendent of the Money Order Office.
On the 1st January, the six Armenian Clerks, referred to in last year's Report as having been engaged, entered upon their duties. I regret to say, however, that after two or three months' experience of Post Office work, to which they were quite new, they all, more or less became dissatisfied, not only with the hard work and long hours, but also with the salaries which they received, and which they considered were inadequate, owing to the fact that they were strangers to Hongkong. By the end of the year four had severed their connection with the Office.
Including the above six Clerks, 23 new appointments were made during the year, and 12 Clerks resigned. With the exception of three-one with 11 years' service and two with three years'—nonc of those who resigned had completed even a year's service.
In the month of May, Mr. F. J. MACHADO, the Postmaster at Shanghai for the long period of 23 years, retired on a pension, which he fully deserved after his lengthened and faithful service of 43 years in the Department. He was succeeded by Mr. W. J. SOLLY, the Senior Clerk of the General Post Office, Hongkong, who in his turn was succeeded by Mr. G. G. BURNETT, transferred from the Sanitary Board.
There were numerous changes at Shanghai owing to resignations, and with the advent of a new Postmaster, the long needed additional assistance was pressed for, and I am pleased to say that three extra men were granted by the Government.
INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL CORRESPONDENCE.
The usual Table (A) of International and Local Correspondence received and despatched during the
year is attached. It will be observed that there was an increase under each head in both classes of mails dealt with.
In Table (B) will be found the number of Bags, Packets, Parcel Boxes and Loose Letter Boxes received and despatched. It may be of interest to draw attention to the large number of Bags dealt with, viz., 74,844, an increase of over ten thousand on the total of the previous year.
POSTAGE STAMPS.
Table (C) contains the usual Statement of Monthly Sales of Stamps at Hongkong. The total amount received was $217.612.24, an increase of $820.79 on that of the previous year.
Included in the total receipts from sales of stamps in Table (F) are the sales of stamps at the British Post Office at Shanghai and at the several British Postal Agencies, amounting together to the sum of $76,220.55. A Statement, Table (D), of these receipts will be found attached.
PARCEL POST.
The Parcel Post transactions, Table (E), again this year shew an increase on that of the previous year. The total number of parcels handled in 1900 being 54,396 (of which 6,315 were insured) against 49,354 (of which 6,217 were insured).