7
101
continued to benefit by their maintenance in so far as the
porgontare on their gross receipts has increased the
Military contribution; while the Colony has had to say 20%
of the prose rooalpte in addition to the greater part
of the deficits on the conduct of the sorvice. On the basis
of the fieros given in the Post Office letter of the 24th
of August last, the Colony in reispent of the year ending
'30 September 1908 had to ray # 74,000 m #11itary
contribution (20% on gross revenue of say # 120,000) and
* 25,000 in romect of the leficit on the service, while
* 15,000,the balance of the deficit of #40,000, was provided approximately as to one half by the Imperial Covermant
and as to the other half by the Tiontain *imicipality.
Though for the reasons giveriaabove no preciso finiros gen be quoted an to the amount of profit and loss during the whole period of 40 years since 1888 the general none lusions arrivod at from calculation an:l conjecture, based on such
facts and figures as careful research has made available,
may be stated as follows:-
() that the Agencies in Japan, carried on from 1809
to 1890 were not rammerativo;
(b) that the profit, if any, on the Chineso Agencies
during this peri al was small;
(c) that the revenue of the Chinose ágonoles ma
probably checked by an alteration made in 1883 in kimit the appropriation of postage collections on
correspondence prasing between them and the Tmited
Kinion;
(d) that in the later "eighties" there probably was a
substantial