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maintained by this administration pending the conclusion of a new agreement. By arrangement with the Washington Postal Authorities commercial correspondence between Hongkong and the larger American cities is now transmitted direct by the United States Postal Aeroplane Service between Victoria B.C. and Seattle Washington.
The English Mail to the Colony was transmitted throughout the year via Bombay Negapatam and Singapore, and was despatched every Thursday from London with the regular Indian Mail scheduled to reach Bombay in 14 days. This arrangement though admirable in respect of regularity and speed proved unsatisfactory in one respect. As the Negapatam-Penang service is bi-weekly a delay in the initial stage to Bombay entails the loss of the connection from Negapatam onwards and therefore a further delay of at least 3 days. During the early portion of the year failures to maintain the schedule were not infrequent and at the instance of the Chamber of Commerce strong representations were made to the British Postal Authorities. However as a larger complement of fast vessels became available for the London-Bombay Service a considerable improvement was effected. The Straits Settlements Postal Administration have also assisted by undertaking to intercept at Penang the letter mail to Hongkong and transmit it by rail in Singapore; and thence by the first available steamer to Hongkong.
Arrangements were made with the Peninsular & Oriental and Blue Funnel Companies for the despatch of parcel mails to the United Kingdom by those Companies' ships and the service now assured is practically a weekly one.
The privilege of free postal facilities granted during the War to H.M. Naval and Military Forces was withdrawn in 1920.
A Money Order Agreement between this Colony and the Chinese Post Office came into force on January 1st, 1920. The agreement provides for the exchange of Money Order transactions through the intermediary of Hongkong between China and Foreign countries.
The first post-war Postal Congress was held at Madrid in October, 1920. Considerable increases of postal rates were authorised to meet the universal increase in expenditure and the depreciation of currencies. As no official notification of the postal policy to be adopted by the United Kingdom or the British Empire was communicated to this Administration no action was taken during the year in the revision of the Colony's postal rates,
the
14th April, 1921.
M. J. BREEN,
Postmaster General.