at the same time that legitimate public revenues are being paid into the hands of private persons.
Some time ago.
2.
The
Acting Assistant Postmaster General visited several of these Chinese offices and obtained the following information:
(a). Letters are either prepaid in Hong Kong or paid for by the addressee on delivery.
(b). The charge to Canton and Macao is 1/2 cent per letter of average weight.
(c). Letters containing money are charged from 3¢ to 10¢ a piece.
(d). Bags and boxes are in use for the conveyance of letters.
(e) These bags and boxes are put in charge of the Compradores on the various river steamers who are regularly paid for delivering them to the Agents at the various termini.
(f). The Offices in question receive gross amounts varying from $800 to $200 per month.
From the information obtained at this visit and from the figures which appear in CS.O. A. 2804 of 1888, it is apparent that the Government of this Colony is not deriving all the Postal Revenue to which it is entitled.
There are two classes of correspondence received and delivered by these Offices; the one class is composed of correspondence to and from places in China with which this Colony has no postal relations, the other of correspondence with places such as Macao, Canton, Swatow, etc., where there are recognised Post Offices in existence.
So long as China is without an organised Postal Administration.