R 3
A profit of $32,490.96 was made on exchange transactions in respect of the year 1917 and was brought to account in January of 1918. The profit on exchange made during the year 1918 is in excess of this figure but as it was not paid in until January last it does not appear in the accounts for the year under review.
During the year 21 telegraphic orders amounting to £561 were received and 38 amounting to £669. 11s. 0d. were despatched as against 6 for £195 received and 25 for £332. 3s. 4d. despatched during 1917.
The average cost of a telegraphic deferred rate message during the year was $9.60 as against $11.53 in 1917 but one order had to be sent at the full rate in April as the deferred rate was for a time suspended.
A decrease took place in the sales of British Postal Orders, which were £2,421 lower than in 1917. This was largely due to the rise in the rupee rate. For every £1 Postal Order a sum of 15 rupees could be obtained in India, but when the price of the rupee was raised to 1/6 only 13 rupees 5 annas could be obtained and the Indian troops in this Colony ceased buying Postal Orders. There was a small increase of £625 in the amount of British Postal Notes paid, and there was also an increase of $737 in the Local Postal Note business.
Full details appear in Tables VIII, IX, and X.
6. CHINESE CORRESPONDENCE.
Chinese Delivery Section General Post Office.
During the year, this section handled 1,665,540 ordinary letters, 100,407 other articles, and 7,055 postal hong packets as against 1,604,611 ordinary letters, 85,750 other articles, and 7,623 hong packets in 1917.
The registered articles delivered amounted to 228,222 of which 145,432 were from the United States and Canada and 82,790 from China and other countries, shewing a decrease of 3,615 as compared with 231,837 in 1917.
2,400 insured letters were dealt with as against 2,227 in 1917.
The total number of Chinese private boxes for which licences were issued during the year was 311, an increase of 3 as compared with 308 in 1917.
The licences of 22 Chinese Postal Hongs were renewed, a decrease of 2 as compared with 1917.
7.—TELEGRAPH SUB-DEPARTMENT.
The revenue collected during the year from radio-telegrams amounted to $24,011.25 which is an increase of $699.70 on the amount collected in 1917. Advices of vessels signalled at the...