403
POSTAGE STAMPS.
10. A comparison of the different varieties of stamps issued for sale shows a falling off in most of the lower values. (Tables IV and V.)
MONEY ORDER.
11. The transaction in all currencies shew increased business. The figures indicate the growing popularity of Imperial Postal Notes and the convenience of allowing them to be cashed as well as issued.
12. Arrangements were made during the year for the direct exchange of Money Orders with Germany and German Colonies and also with Macao.
13. The rate of commission on Local Postal Notes has been reduced from 2% to 1%. Details of the business done are given in Tables VI, VII, and VIII.
DEAD LETTER OFFICE.
14. 63,485 articles of correspondence were dealt with in the Dead Letter Office during the year 1905-33,514 being returned by Hongkong to Other Administrations and 29,971 being received from Other Administrations. Of these latter, 7,415 originating in Hongkong or at its Agencies were returned to the senders, but a very large number of Chinese written letters, owing to the absence of any definite aldress of the sender or even the name of the sender, it was found impossible to return.
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15. At the General Post Office the following correspondence failed to be delivered :- Foreign. Letters 8,292, Post Cards 363, Books. etc. 6,124; and Local.-Letters 1,785, Post Cards 118, Books, etc. 2,997. The first mentioned class were returned to their respective offices of origin, and form part of those mentioned as being returned by Hongkong, and of the last mentioned it was possible to return to the senders 2,954. In 42 ordinary letters opened in the Dead Letter Office and returned to the senders there were found the follow- ing: Money Orders to the value of £2.6.6., Postal Orders to the value of £22.3.0., Cheques for $5, 9s., and 5s., respectively, Bank Drafts for 15s. 6d., and $15 respectively, and in one letter a Bank Note for $5 and a 50-cent coin.
16. In addition to the above it may be mentioned that 40 Chinese letters were irregularly posted with coin (consisting in each case, with but one or two exceptions, of one or two Chinese cash). 23 of these were returned to the senders compulsorily registered and the remaining 17, owing to absence of sender's name or address, were destroyed, their contents being converted into local currency and paid into the credit of the Government under the head of Unpaid Postage.
17. A record was kept during this year of the number of Picture Post Cards which were posted without the name or address of the persons for whom they were intended, and these reached a total of 65. It may be interesting to mention that in not a few cases these Cards were posted in the same condition as they had been purchased, and consequently the senders could not be traced.
18 A new variety of Picture Post Card appeared bearing fictitious imitations of Post- age Stamps of the different countries of the world instead of the usual views. It was brought to the notice of this office by the General Post Office, London, which, at the same time, intimated that the admission of such Cards to the United Kingdom was prohibited by its Regulations. 123 of these Cards were returned by London and 11 others found at different times in the mails at this office addressed to places in the United Kingdom were withdrawn. Where the sender's name appeared on them they were returned. Up to the present, however, no other country in the Postal Union has intimated its refusal of admission to these Cards. (Table IX.)
19. In the various mails from different countries 1,362 articles, chiefly printed matter, were received without address, of these, 217 were subsequently delivered to claimants. In aldition to this a very considerable number for which wrappers were found at once, were patched up and sent out without incurring any delay.