$164
time.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND Witness---No, but it occurred to me at the | the insurance fees collested. A reference to this q table shows that 3,038 parcels (an average of Mr. Frank Browne, Assistant Government | 152 per mail) were despatched previous to the Analyst, said➡I received the clothes found on | 1st October, while the mails of the 10th and the body of the deceased last Saturday, the 17th 25th October and 6th and 20th December carried inst. I was requested to see whether there were an average of 203 parcels each. The Christmas
and New Year's mails are always exosptionally | any traces of blood; there were none.
heavy and are, therefore, not taken into account in this comparison.
Dr. Marques-I assisted Dr. Cantlie at the post merten examination. 1 believe the body had been in the water about a week. The deceased was about 25 years of age. In my opinion the cause of death was shook, because we found large incised wound on the left thigh and the penis was removed. Death might have been caused by shook while the man was struggling in the water; the cause of death was not drowning. The wounds were inflicted either before or immediately after death. That is my opinion, because the wounds were both clean, and the surfaos was not decomposed. I saw no signs of hemorrhage.
In answer to the Magistrate the witness Dalton said his explanation of the affair was that both wounds had been caused by contact with the propeller of the launob,
The inquiry was adjourned until next Wednes day at 11 o'clook.
THE POSTMASTER-GENERAL'S REPORT FOR 1894.
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The new regulations for insured paroels also took effect from the 1st October. It is now com pulsory to insure gold and silver artioles for at least part their value.
|August 20,
The electric light was introdue d into the office in October and has proved boon.
On the 22nd October a robbery was trated from the Canton Postal Agency. thief was subsequently caught and the pr abstracted (which was of small valas) re
The postal agent at Ningpo died on the 3lab October. An examination of his accɔunts, which in spite of repeated letters from this offlos at the time two months in arrear, dislo deficiency of $940,05, of which $161.50 sequently recovered from his estate.
"A_paroels post servios between Victoria and the Peak was inangurated on the same day, but the public showed no disposition to make use of | THE REPORT it, only two parcels being posted in as many months. It was therefore discontinued from the 1st December.
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OF THE AOTING SUPERINTENDENT OF THE CIVIL HOSPITAL.
The following is the introductory portion of Dr. Lowson's report for last year :-- --
I have the honour to forward the annual re- port on the work done in the Government Civil Hospital, the Lunatio Asylums, and the Epide mic Hospitals during the year 1894.
The insurance of parcels to India was diss continued in January. I am, however, again in correspondence with the Postmaster-General of Bengal on the subject, and hope that a satisfao- tory arrangement will be shortly completed.
Table G shows the revenue and expenditure
1. Before speaking on these institutions in of the department during 1893 and 1894. There is an increase nuder all heads of revenue except detail a few remarks are called for on some mat. fees for private boxes in which there is a trifling ters of general interest to the Medical Depart decrease. The most important increase is one of ment. At the present moment there is no neoss- nearly 10 per cent, in the value of stamps sold, sity to dwell particularly on the fact that 1894 which is attibutable partly to the increased postal has been the most important year that the Medi- tariff, which came into force on the 1st August, cal Department has gone through, and to my The Postmaster-General, Hon. A. K. Travers, and partly to a general increase in correspondence mind it will be some considerable time, if ever, despatched. The largest relative increase is before we are called on to face such dimeultice in his report for 1894 says :-
The approximate statiatios of correspondence under the head of profit on exchange on again. Some of these difficulties I have men, This is, how.tioned in my report on the spidemio of bubonig received and despatched during the year are money order transactions.
Others, although given in table A. These figures are arrived at ever, deceptive, The amount shown for 1894 plague already published. by taking statistics during a period of 28 days is the sum paid into the Treasury in that interesting and peculiar from a personal point and a multiplying the results by 13; no very year and represents approximately the profit of view, do not come within the scope of this exact conclusions oan therefore be deduced from on the transactions of 1892 and 1893. The report. I would suggest, however, that the them. But in so far as they may be relied upon profit on the 1892 transactions was not paid Government consider whether the following they point to a considerable increase in Interna-into the Treasury in 1893, because it was feared officers should receive at least a bonus for work tional Postal business as compared with 1893, that the heavy loss caused by the closing of the done during that trying time :- while the local business appears to have suffered Indian mints, referred to in paragraph 12 of nilight decrease. The heads of international the Acting Postmaster-General's report for 1893, business under which the largest increases appear would swamp both that and the profit on the 1898 transactions with other countries, and possibly render necessary vote to meet the Fortunately, this fear was not deficiency. realized, and but for the loss referred to, amount- ing to $4,092.09, the business of 1893; would
2.-I have already mentioned the steward's have shown a profit of $7,922.74 as against $2,374.41 for 1892, the large increase being due work in my plague report. The other servants principally to increased transactions with Aus. mentioned above all had excessively long hours tralia consequent on the failure of several of work—work which in the early days of the epidemic was about as filthy and disgusting Australian banks.
The increases under the various heads of ex-as could well be imagined and more revolt- penditure are for the most part attributable to the fall in exchange.
* Ordinary letters despatched
Post Cards Newspapers, &c. Patterns.....
Registered Artiolos..
36 per cent. 55 per cent.
31 per cent. 15 per cout. 18 per cent. It should be mentioned, however, that two- thirds or more of this apparently large increase is attributable to the isot that the statistical period in 1894 included the date of despatch of the New Year's mail for Europe, which is al- ways about 50 per cent. heavier than an average homeward mail. The despatch of the Christ- wka homeward mail is always included in the statistical period (the first 28 days in November), so that the estimate of the yearly amount of correspondence despatched is always somewhat too high, although the fact does not greatly affect the comparison from year to year.
A very fair index to the variations in the amount of correspondence despatched in für- nished by the value of the stamps sold from month to month. Table H shows these values (for Hongkong only) for 1893 and 1894. The com- parison of the amount sold during the first seven months of 1894 with the amount for the corre sponding months of 1893 shows an increase of a little over 6 per cent., which is perhaps a fair estimate of the annual rate of increase of the business of the omoe.
There is a decrease of 50 per cent, in patterns | ved and a small decrease ia newspapers | osived, the other heads of correspondence re- ceived showing slight increaser.
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On the 1st August the postage to the United Kingdom was raised from 7 cents to 10 cents per half os. for letters, with corresponding in creases for other descriptions of correspondence. The effect of this change has been to inorense by some 10 per cent. the average value of the monthly sale of stamps, allowance being made for the usual extra large sale in November.
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Steward-Mr. R. Chapman. WardmasterMr. L E. Brett. Apothecaries' Assistants—Mr. U I Kai and
Mr. Chan Kam-taun.
Clerks Mr. Leang Fa-chu and Mr. Lenng
Ping-fai.
Wardmaster, Lunatic Asylume-Mr. D. G.
Camming.
80
ing than most civilized people can have any idea of. The clean and well confinated hospitals_which visitors saw during the latter days of June gave the ordinary medical globe. trotter the ides that plague work in Hongkong was rather interesting and almost luxurions. What that work was in the middle of May is only known to a select few who, I daresay, don't want to have any more experience of it. Honour and duty entered largely into the matter with The value of stamps sold at Shanghai jumped superior officers, but to some of those who have suddenly from $1,976 in July to $2,753 in little or no promotion to look forward to I con- Anguet and maintained, from August to Decem.sider that money remuneration is necessary. If ber inclusive, an average of $2,938 a month as | this is not given in such cases much ill-felfing against $1,681 for the preceding seven months, | engendered, as our outside helpers were paid an increase of more than 70 per eonk This very large salaries for less than half the | large increase was caused almost entirely by the work done (generally not
closing of the Japanese Post floo at Shanghai, our subordinates, who in most esses Hot, no by which a great deal of extra work fall to the extra remuneration. Many a time we could only lot of the British Office. · It is an ill wind that get work done by "flogging the tired horse, blows nobody any good, and one effect of the with the inevitable result that the tired horse China-Japan war was to put some $1,200 a month became permanently injured. into the pockets of the Hongkong ratepayers.
I regret to state that during the year it was The local correspondenos despatched shows a
decrease in the number of letters, post- found that more than 40 registered letters newspapers, and registered articles.” In | originating for the most part from the Straits poal correspondenos received there is a Settlements, had been during the previous year 18 per cent. in newspapers and re- | lost or misappropriated in transit through this "articles, and a small decrease in ordinary | offos. No prosecation was instituted, and the mondence.
greater part of the indemnities claimed by the rised tariff for parcels post came into senders was paid by the father of the clark foros on the 1st October, the most important to whom the losses were traced, and who was stion being the raising of the postage on permitted to resign from the service. I am to the United Kingdom from 25 canta pleased to add that I have complete confidence Irst Ib. and 20 cents for each succeeding Ib. in the staff at present under my control in this and 25 cents respectively. In spite offos, who have one and all performed their mure, which was rendered necessary |dation conscientionaly and outfnfactorily. ́la ezchange, the popularity of the
daadily increasing. October, and the Amistant Post the sher of parouls posted | Mr. Northoots, left for Bi
to Europe by the Mr. Badeley being appointed kimount of postage i
· Postmaster-Gonoral during
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3-After the plague had been satisfactorily got rid of a Medical Commision was appointed to consider certain matters in this departme l'heir report has not yet been made publie, beI must my that some of the questions submitted for their decision were questions which are generali left to the executive officers alone. Delay is ma things often leads to one being unable to out schemes which may frequently be carried success before anything is known about them by outsiders. It is satisfactory to know that from report there is a strong probability o Medical Department being largely to meet the extra damands that fo last year or two have been put upon it.
I returned from leave of absence on the 3ed / important matter which might have recei
«Gemeral, | tention is the present unsatisfactory sta
pension rules" in the Civil Modioni Rules similar to those of the Army
the
y loant that unght to
f