APPENDIX P.
REPORT OF THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
STAFF.
1. Mr. W. J. Solly, Postmaster at Shanghai, returned from leave and resumed duty on 22nd November. Mr. G. G. Burnett, Senior Clerk in the Hongkong Office, was granted leave from 11th May. Mr. R. J. Savage, Superintendent of Mails, returned from leave and resumed duty on 29th June.
2. Among the remainder of the staff there were twelve resignations and appointments at Hongkong; and one resignation and appointment at the Shanghai Office.
MAILS.
3. The number of mail bags and packets dealt with in the General Post Office, Hongkong, amounted to 209,109, an increase of 4,820 compared with the previous year. Further details are given in Table I.
REGISTRATION AND PARCEL BRANCH.
4. Registered articles and parcels handled in Hongkong amounted to 951,101, an increase of 145,688, compared with the previous year. Further details are given in Table II.
REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE.
5. A statement of Revenue and Expenditure is given in Table III. Revenue amounted to $444,046.58, showing an increase of $31,614.98, being due to an increase of business. The Expenditure amounted to $510,729.99, being an increase of $139,243.82 on the expenditure of the previous year. This proportionately large increase in expenditure was due to the following reasons: In the year 1908, only three of the quarterly payments of the contribution towards the subsidy to the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company for the carriage of mails were paid, while during the year under review, the quarterly payment in arrear together with the full yearly payment were made. Of the payments under this head of expenditure, $32,596.63 was in respect of the year 1908. Other Mail Transit payments also show an increase of $71,975.10, due largely to the payments made to China, Japan, and Russia for the carriage of mails despatched by the trans-Siberian Railway. Since the last statistics were taken for transit payments on account of mails despatched by this route, the weight of mails despatched, especially from Hongkong, has greatly increased, owing to a better service, and in consequence, after the next statistics have been taken in the year 1911, these payments will be still more increased.
6. Table IV shows a comparative statement of the sale of postage stamps at the various British Postal Agencies in China for the years 1908 and 1909.
Table V shows the number of stamps of...