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X-POSTAL AND TELEGRAPH SERVICES.
The total revenue from the Postal Service in 1918 amounted to $427,132.88 being $23,203.01 more than that collected in 1917. The net expenditure after deducting the sum of $70,270.74 (£12,591. 58. Od. at 3/7 per $) refunded to this Colony by the Post Office of the United Kingdom in respect of the period 1st July, 1917, to 30th September, 1918, on account of the suspension of the P. & 0. Mail Contract Service (Bombay-Shanghai Section) amounted to $156,107.69, being less than that of 1917 by $103,107,14 due to the high rate of exchange prevailing during the year under review and the refund referred to above. The balance of revenue over expenditure amounted to $271,025.19. The Bombay to Shanghai Section of the P. & O. Contract Mail Service was suspended throughout the year. Maila superscribed for the Suez route were, as a rule, forwarded from here to Bombay to connect with the home- bound P. & 0. packets sailing from there. The Pacific mute either via Canada or via the United States was regularly used throughout the year for the transmission of mails for Europe.
The Parcel Post Service to the United Kingdom vid Canada was suspended as from 10th May, owing to transport difficulties in the Atlantic.
Through the courtesy of Messrs. Butterfield & Swire to whom the thanks of the Post Office Department are due facilities were granted for the exchange of direct Parcel Post Malls with the United Kingdom vid Suez by vessels for which they are Agents.
The revenue collected in 1918 from radio-telegrams amounted to $24,011.25 being $699.70 more than that collected in 1917. Advices of vessels signalled at the Lighthouses yielded $437,00 and semaphore messages $5.35 making a total of $24,453.00 for the Telegraphic Service. The expenditure amounted to $25,100.73. The number of radio-telegrams forwarded during the year was 1,117, consisting of 108,330 words, and 1,175 received consisting of 19,243 words.
XI-GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.
The outstanding event of the year was the conclusion of hostilities in Europe. In this remote Colony the effects of the war have been felt less directly than in many parts of H.M. Dominions; but Hongkong gave of her best, in money and in men of British race, and at least she has no reason to feel ashamed of the small but steadfast part which she played in the great adventure.
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The world-wide dearth of shipping for mercantile purposes a marked effect upon the trade of the Colony, which is so entirely dependent upon ships for its prosperity. Trade with the United Kingdom was much reduced in volume, but the trade routes acrous the Pacific Ocean were well supplied by Japanese vessels, and markets which had formerly taken British goods turned towards America and Japan.
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In order to protect as far as possible the essential interests of the Colony the Government took over early in the year the control of seventeen British ships registered in Hongkong and Shanghai. These vessels were the only British ships remaining on the China Coast which were not under the Imperial liner requisition scheme and had not been taken over by the Imperial Government, for whose purposes they were unsuitable. The owners gave their loyal co- operation, and the tonnage thus acquired served a most useful purpose, the ships being diverted as occasion demanded to meet the Colony's more pressing needs.
The political dissensions and domestic disputes, which have for some time past formed so unfortunate a feature of Chinese national life, continued throughout the year, to the grave detriment of trade in the Kwong Tung and Kwong Sai Provinces. The prevalent lawlessness led to a considerable influx of bad characters into Hongkong, with a consequent increase in crimes of violence, four members of the Police Force being murdered on one occasion by an armed gang of desperadoes. The most stringent measures were taken to cope with the situation, and they were attended with marked success.
The close supervision of the trade of the port, which was rendered necessary by the war, has made it possible to collect accurate trade statistics, and the first complete returns in the his- tory of the Colony, covering the year 1918, have now been published. The necessary steps are being taken for the proper compilation of the returns in future years, after war conditions have ceased.
In the early part of 1918 there occurred a severe epidemic of cerebro-spinal meningitis which caused some 968 deaths. In con- sequence of this outbreak the Government of the Straite Settlements prohibited for some months the immigration of coolie labour from Hongkong into Singapore, and the local boarding house keepers and others interested in the business suffered heavily in con- sequence.
A series of earthquake shocks in February caused some alarm though the resulting damage was inconsiderable. The neighbour- ing port of Swatow suffered very severely.
In the same month, in the course of the annual race meeting, some temporary stands which were occupied mainly by Chinese collapsed and were almost immediately consumed by fire, over 600 persons losing their lives.
In June an Ordinance was passed for the raising of a force for Military Service outside the Colony, its application being confined to men of British race. The very large majority of available men of military age had already left as volunteers for active service but certain of the younger men who were retained in essential occupa- tions pressed to have their position made clear, and a tribunal was accordingly established with powers to decide who should be required to go, and who should remain exempt. In the result the tribunal dealt with 206 men and decided that 54 should be sent on active service.
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