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Population Correspondence
Annual Cost Staff Approximate
Hong Kong West Kensington £ 250,000 6,500,000 115 50,000 13,000,000 77 4,200 5,132 fictoria 125,000 124,000,000 Forward 110,000,000 1022 85,885 Total 235,000,0007.
8.
Comparison with St Martin's is not attempted.
Comparison on the basis of population would be misleading, the bulk of the Chinese population not using the post office; on the other hand much of the Chinese correspondence there is, gives great trouble with addresses, as does also the Hindustani.
9.
Comparison of staff without correction would also be erroneous: in the first place postmen in England do everything clerks do in Hong Kong, and are paid practically the same. Postmen in Hong Kong beyond delivering letters and clearing Pillar Boxes do nothing that Postmen in England do.
10.
Take West Kensington Head Office, the Overseers are the only men of the clerical staff. Postmen bring in their letters, date stamp them, sort them, close mails and hand them to the mail carts.
In Hong Kong every letter sent out has to be read out in Chinese by clerks to the men, who endorse the address on each letter in Chinese, except on those in subscribers' boxes.
In Hong Kong the men are machines for collecting and distributing letters, doing the carting done by mail vans in England to railway termini. In Hong Kong the wharf...
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