HONGKONG.
REPORT ON THE POST OFFICE FOR THE YEAR 1902.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor.
No. 51.
GENERAL POST OFFICE,
HONGKONG, 14th April, 1903.
No. 1903
18
SIR,-I have the honour to submit the Annual Report on the Hongkong Post Office for the year 1902.
DEPARTMENTAL CHANGES.
2. Captain HASTINGS, the Postinaster General, died on the 22nd January, 1902, and Mr. E. C. LEWIS, the Assistant Postmaster General, acted as Postmaster General from that date to the 28th February, 1903.
I was appointed as Postmaster General by C. O. Despatch No. 184 of 20th June last, when on leave in England from the Straits Settlements; I arrived in the Colony on the 27th of February and assumed charge of this Department on the 1st ultimo.
INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL CORRESPONDENCE.
3. A statement of the International and Local Correspondence received and despatched during the year will be found in Table A, the totals being-Received: Letters and Postcards (including 124 Insured and 289,140 Registered) 2,211,834; Other articles 1,218,770; and-Despatched: Letters and Postcards (including 160 Insured and 199,050 Registered) 3,082,140; Other articles 968,350.
4. I attach a summary-Table B-showing the number of bags, &c., received and despatched, which shews an increase on that of 1901. The total number actually dealt with at this Office being bags 96,623, Packets 11,998, Parcel Post Boxes 7,978, and Loose Letter Boxes 2,516, the number of steamers conveying these Mails were, 7,426 Inwards and 8,432 Outwards. Included in the former are 43 United States Mail Packets, 26 English P. & O. Contract Packets, 26 Messageries Maritimes Co.'s Packets, 26 German Mail Packets, and 15 Canadian.
5. It may be of interest also to mention that during the year the English mails were received at this Office on 6 occasions in 27 days, 17 occasions in 28 days, on 22 occasions in 29 days, and on other occasions in 30 to 41 days. Twice during the year the French Mails were brought on to Hongkong by vessels of the Nippon Yusen Kaisha (Japanese European line).
POSTAGE STAMPS.
6. The usual Statement of Monthly Sales of Stamps at Hongkong will be found in Table C. The total sales for the year amounted to $264,420.83, an advance on the sales of the previous year of no less a sum than $25,043.34.
7. The sales of stamps at the British Post Office at Shanghai and at the British Postal Agencies in China will be found in the Table D, and amounted to $90,246.02, an increase of $6,140.74 on the previous year's receipts: the Shanghai Post Office receipts under this head being $50,019.06 in 1902 against $38,749.64
in 1901.
PARCEL POST.
8. The Parcel Post business shews a decrease of 451 on that of the previous year. The total number of those received (including 4,090 Insured) amounted to 44,150, and of those despatched (including 4,377 Insured) amounted to 37.239. Details will be found in Table E.