316
7. An arrangement for the transmission of Insured Letters direct between the Straits Settlements and Hongkong came into force on the 1st December, 1906.
8. On the 19th September, 1906, a messenger of the Kwong Man Fung firm was found guilty at the Criminal Sessions of obtaining by means of a forged signature and seal 4 registered letters from America, he was sentenced to five years hard labour.
REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE.
9. A statement of Revenue and Expenditure is given in Table III. Revenue amounted to $420,454.04 shewing an increase of $5,615,85 over that of 1905 and an excess of $10,454.54 over the Estimate. Expenditure came to $359,484.08 and the profit on the Department to $60,969.96 or 143 per cent. The very considerable saving on the estimated expenditure is principally due to the higher rate of exchange which affected sterling payments for transit charges and mail subsidies. Increase in working expenses is divided as follows:--
Salaries, Hongkong.
Cost of Stamps
Rent of Extension Site, Shanghai..
Fittings, Tientsin
Other heads of expenditure
.$ 3,023.87
11,010.05
2,103.42
1,106.81
212.23
$ 17,456.38
POSTAGE STAMPS.
10. A comparative statement of the issues of stamps for sale shows a falling off in the values from $1 to $10 which are used largely for Revenue as distinguished from postal purposes. Tables IV and V.
MONEY ORDERS.
11. With the exception of inward orders from Japan and Silver dollar countries the trans- actions of the Money Order Office shew a substantial increase over that of the previous year (Table VI). The orders from the Straits, Borneo and Federated Malay States shew a remarkable falling off since the Straits dollar was fixed at 2s. 4d. The issues by Japan in 1905 were abnormal, one Chinese firm alone in Daitotei, Formosa, remitting $13,000. There is a drop in 1906 of 200 orders in the number issued by the Japanese Post Offices in North China to the British Indian Troops who send their remittances to India through the intermediary of Hongkong.
12. The apparent falling off in the issue of sterling orders is due to the fact that prior to 1906 all orders on Germany were advised through London. The issues and receipts from Germany equal Marks 73,000 which more than counter balance the deficiency of £1,500.
13. The increase of £3,000 from the United Kingdom and also increase in the number of British Postal Orders paid is accounted for by the greater number of Chinese Seamen and Laundrymen in the United Kingdom, principally in London, Liverpool, Cardiff, Birkenhead, Manchester, Belfast, Hull, Newport, North Shields and South Shields.
14. Notwithstanding the reduction of the British Fleet in China waters the sale of British Postal Orders is £1,000 more than in 1905.
15 Since December last the amount of orders from London has been greatly augmented by Chinese transit orders from Mexico, each week's list varying from £450 to £950.
16. A direct exchange of Money Orders with Cape Colony came into force on the 1st January and a proposal for the extension of direct exchange to the German Colony of Kiautschou is now under consideration.