7. A money Order system with most of the Australasian Colonies has been established, and there is reason to believe it will be of use to the Chinese who have emigrated there and who are constantly sending money to their friends, hitherto by enclosing sovereigns in Registered letters, a practice which sometimes leads to unpleasant questions, as the contents of the letters do not always correspond with the amounts written outside. In one instance the envelope purported to contain three sovereigns, but what it did contain was a piece of tea lead, of the exact weight required, neatly folded up. It is a matter of regret that Victoria has held aloof from this Money Order Convention.
8. The close of the year was marked by the withdrawal of British Post Offices from Japan, a measure which this Department never deprecated before its completion, nor has regretted since. Had the Japanese continued as indifferent to Postal matters as Chinese are still, it would have been desirable to maintain foreign Post Offices in Japan, but it is certainly the more healthy and natural state of affairs for the Post Office of any country to belong to that country. With the awakening interest and progress of the Japanese in Postal matters complications of all kinds began to be created, and it was a relief to every one concerned when such perplexing questions ceased to exist. Far from being below the average standard of efficiency, it would be difficult to name any Offices where the work is better done than at those of Japan with which this Department has the pleasure of exchanging mails, for it is a pleasure to cooperate with an Administration at once courteous, intelligent, and exact. Mr. MACHADO, our late Postmaster at Yokohama, who has just become a naturalised British subject, has been transferred to Shanghai, where no doubt his services will be as acceptable to the community as they were to that at his former post. It would have been very desirable for the Assistant Postmaster General or myself to spend two or three weeks at Shanghai in general inspection and supervision of the office there on the induction of Mr. MACHADO, but the partial employment of Mr. BARFF in the Supreme Court has rendered it impossible for either of us to leave the Colony.
9. This community has not enjoyed its usual good fortune in the matter of mail hours during the year. The English and French mails are now closed at entirely different times, in spite of every effort for uniformity, and the hour of departure of the English mail is in every way undesirable. We have had to realise that there are other places besides Hongkong. To take one only, it is very difficult to suggest any arrangement which shall avoid Sunday work here without necessitating Sunday work in Shanghai, especially when monsoon changes are taken into account the whole year through. It is to be hoped, however, that in the course of a little time, it may be possible to modify the new Time Tables so as to regain our former regularity without unduly inconveniencing other Ports.
10. The subject of Revenue during the year under review would be rather a gloomy one, but for the consideration that the small balance left to the Colony is the result of paying off arrears due for 1877 and 1878, and that the revised rates of Postage which have just come into force will do something towards checking the steady decline of Postal receipts which has been going on since 1872. In round figures it may be said that this Department collected $102,000 during 1879; of which $10,000 was paid to England and other countries (including arrears); $20,000 was devoted to the conveyance of mails, including a special contribution towards lessening the Imperial loss under this head; $37,000 represents other working expenses; and the Colony has but $5,000 left, the smallest balance on record. It would be pleasant to add that all arrears have been paid off, but such is not the case, though they have been lessened. Considerable sums are still due to London, but as much as possible in the absence of exact information has been remitted on account. Detailed figures as to the year's revenue will be found in the appendix.
11. The only way to form any just idea of the financial position of this Department is to take the years 1877, 1878 and 1879 together. If this is done it will be found that, during these three years the Gross Annual Revenue of the Post Office has averaged $118,000, of which the average Imperial and Foreign share was $45,000; the cost of conveyance of mails $17,000; and the local expenditure $35,000; leaving an average annual balance to the Colony of $21,000, or say $63,000 for the three years. Our debts are now fairly paid up to date except perhaps about $8,000 due to London, and a contribution of about $16,000 will be due in April next, revenue coming in however meanwhile to meet it. Taking the prospect of increased revenue this year into consideration, our financial position may be regarded as satisfactory. The heavy expenditure in Marine Sorting noticed in the last Annual Report still continues, nor does there appear to be any means of lessening it.
12. The Government of this Colony having abolished the restrictions which were placed on the issue of subsidiary silver coin (only obtainable formerly at a premium or as a matter of great favour) it has been possible to keep the Post Offices of Hongkong and Shanghai always sufficiently supplied with change, a little matter perhaps, but one that has remedied a most inconvenient and not altogether creditable state of things.
13. Through the kindness of the London Post Office a lithographed portrait of the late Sir ROWLAND HILL has been placed in the main sorting room here as a memorial of that distinguished benefactor to humanity.
14. It would be pleasant to bring the record of any year to a close without having to mention some disastrous day, but that good fortune has not yet occurred to the Hongkong Post Office. On December 29th (so nearly was the year well finished) a bag containing more than 300 letters for Foochow, the entire French and English mails in fact, was left behind in consequence of one of those combinations of circumstances against which neither vigilance nor organisation at times avail anything,
**
·
7. A money Order system with most of the Australasian Colonies has been established, and there is reason to believe it will be of use to the Chinese who have emigrated there and who are constantly sending money to their friends, hitherto by enclosing sovereigns in Registered letters, a practice which sometimes leads to unpleasant questions, as the contents of the letters do not always correspond with the amounts written outside. In one instance the envelope purported to contain three sovereigns, but what it did contain was a piece of tea lead, of the exact weight required, neatly folded up. It is a matter of regret that Victoria has held aloof from this Money Order Convention.
8. The close of the year was marked by the withdrawal of British Post Offices from Japan, a measure which this Department never deprecated before its completion, nor has regretted since. Had the Japanese continued as indifferent to Postal matters as Chinese are still, it would have been desira- ble to maintain foreign Post Offices in Japan, but it is certainly the more healthy and natural state of affairs for the Post Office of any country to belong to that country. With the awakening interest and progress of the Japanese in Postal matters complications of all kinds began to be created, and it was a relief to every one concerned when such perplexing questions ceased to exist. Far from being below the average standard of efficiency, it would be difficult to name any Offices where the work is better done than at those of Japan with which this Department has the pleasure of exchanging mails, for it is a pleasure to cooperate with an Administration at once courteous, intelligent, and exact. Mr. MACHADO, our late Postmaster at Yokohama, who has just become a naturalised British subject, has been transferred to Shanghai, where no doubt his services will be as acceptable to the community as they were to that at his former post. It would have been very desirable for the Assistant Postmaster General or myself to spend two or three weeks at Shanghai in general inspection and supervision of the office there on the induction of Mr. MACHADO, but the partial employment of Mr. BARFF in the Supreme Court has rendered it impossible for either of us to leave the Colony.
9. This community has not enjoyed its usual good fortune in the matter of mail hours during the year. The English and French mails are now closed at entirely different times, in spite of every effort for uniformity, and the hour of departure of the English mail is in every way undesirable. We have had to realise that there are other places besides Hongkong. To take one only, it is very difficult to suggest any arrangement which shall avoid Sunday work here without necessitating Sunday work in Shanghai, especially when monsoon changes are taken into account the whole year through. It is to be hoped, however, that in the course of a little time, it may be possible to modify the new Time Tables so as to regain our former regularity without unduly inconveniencing other Ports.
10. The subject of Revenue during the year under review would be rather a gloomy one, but for the consideration that the small balance left to the Colony is the result of paying off arrears due for 1877 and 1878, and that the revised rates of Postage which have just come into force will do some- thing towards checking the steady decline of Postal receipts which has been going on since 1872. In round figures it may be said that this Department collected $102,000 during 1879; of which $10,000 was paid to England and other countries (including arrears); $20,000 was devoted to the conveyance of mails, including a special contribution towards lessening the Imperial loss under this head; $37,000 represents other working expenses; and the Colony has but $5,000 left, the smallest balance on record. It would be pleasant to add that all arrears have been paid off, but such is not the case, though they have been lessened. Considerable sums are still due to London, but as much as possible in the absence of exact information has been remitted on account. Detailed figures as to the year's revenue will be found in the appendix.
11. The only way to form any just idea of the financial position of this Department is to take the years 1877, 1878 and 1879 together. If this is done it will be found that, during these three years the Gross Annual Revenue of the Post Office has averaged $118,000, of which the average Imperial and Foreign share was $45,000; the cost of conveyance of mails $17,000; and the local expenditure $35,000; leaving an average annual balance to the Colony of $21,000, or say $63,000 for the three years. Our debts are now fairly paid up to date except perhaps about $8,000 due to London, and a contribution of about $16,000 will be due in April next, revenue coming in however meanwhile to meet it. Taking the prospect of increased revenue this year into consideration, our financial position may be regarded as satisfactory. The heavy expenditure in Marine Sorting noticed in the last Annual Report still continues, nor does there appear to be any means of lessening it.
•
12. The Government of this Colony having abolished the restrictions which were placed on the issue of subsidiary silver coin (only obtainable formerly at a premium or as a matter of great favour) it has been possible to keep the Post Offices of Hongkong and Shanghai always sufficiently supplied with change, a little matter perhaps, but one that has remedied a most inconvenient and not altogether creditable state of things.
13. Through the kindness of the London Post Office a lithographed portrait of the late Sir Row- LAND HILL has been placed in the main sorting room here as a memorial of that distinguished bene- factor to humanity.
14. It would be pleasant to bring the record of any year to a close without having to mention some disastrous day, but that good fortune has not yet occurred to the Hongkong Post Office. Ou December 29th (so nearly was the year well finished) a bag containing more than 300 letters for Foo- chow, the entire French and English mails in fact, was left behind in consequence of one of those com binations of circumstances against which neither vigilance nor organisation at times avail anything,
**
·
7. A money Order system with most of the Australasian Colonies has been established, and there is reason to believe it will be of use to the Chinese who have emigrated there and who are constantly sending money to their friends, hitherto by enclosing sovereigns in Registered letters, a practice which sometimes leads to unpleasant questions, as the contents of the letters do not always correspond with the amounts written outside. In one instance the envelope purported to contain three sovereigns, but what it did contain was a piece of tea lead, of the exact weight required, neatly folded up. It is a matter of regret that Victoria has held aloof from this Money Order Convention.
8. The close of the year was marked by the withdrawal of British Post Offices from Japan, a measure which this Department never deprecated before its completion, nor has regretted since. Had the Japanese continued as indifferent to Postal matters as Chinese are still, it would have been desira- ble to maintain foreign Post Offices in Japan, but it is certainly the more healthy and natural state of affairs for the Post Office of any country to belong to that country. With the awakening interest and progress of the Japanese in Postal matters complications of all kinds began to be created, and it was a relief to every one concerned when such perplexing questions ceased to exist. Far from being below the average standard of efficiency, it would be difficult to name any Offices where the work is better done than at those of Japan with which this Department has the pleasure of exchanging mails, for it is a pleasure to cooperate with an Administration at once courteous, intelligent, and exact. Mr. MACHADO, our late Postmaster at Yokohama, who has just become a naturalised British subject, has been transferred to Shanghai, where no doubt his services will be as acceptable to the community as they were to that at his former post. It would have been very desirable for the Assistant Postmaster General or myself to spend two or three weeks at Shanghai in general inspection and supervision of the office there on the induction of Mr. MACHADO, but the partial employment of Mr. BARFF in the Supreme Court has rendered it impossible for either of us to leave the Colony.
9. This community has not enjoyed its usual good fortune in the matter of mail hours during the year. The English and French mails are now closed at entirely different times, in spite of every effort for uniformity, and the hour of departure of the English mail is in every way undesirable. We have had to realise that there are other places besides Hongkong. To take one only, it is very difficult to suggest any arrangement which shall avoid Sunday work here without necessitating Sunday work in Shanghai, especially when monsoon changes are taken into account the whole year through. It is to be hoped, however, that in the course of a little time, it may be possible to modify the new Time Tables so as to regain our former regularity without unduly inconveniencing other Ports.
10. The subject of Revenue during the year under review would be rather a gloomy one, but for the consideration that the small balance left to the Colony is the result of paying off arrears due for 1877 and 1878, and that the revised rates of Postage which have just come into force will do some- thing towards checking the steady decline of Postal receipts which has been going on since 1872. In round figures it may be said that this Department collected $102,000 during 1879; of which $10,000 was paid to England and other countries (including arrears); $20,000 was devoted to the conveyance of mails, including a special contribution towards lessening the Imperial loss under this head; $37,000 represents other working expenses; and the Colony has but $5,000 left, the smallest balance on record. It would be pleasant to add that all arrears have been paid off, but such is not the case, though they have been lessened. Considerable sums are still due to London, but as much as possible in the absence of exact information has been remitted on account. Detailed figures as to the year's revenue will be found in the appendix.
11. The only way to form any just idea of the financial position of this Department is to take the years 1877, 1878 and 1879 together. If this is done it will be found that, during these three years the Gross Annual Revenue of the Post Office has averaged $118,000, of which the average Imperial and Foreign share was $45,000; the cost of conveyance of mails $17,000; and the local expenditure $35,000; leaving an average annual balance to the Colony of $21,000, or say $63,000 for the three years. Our debts are now fairly paid up to date except perhaps about $8,000 due to London, and a contribution of about $16,000 will be due in April next, revenue coming in however meanwhile to meet it. Taking the prospect of increased revenue this year into consideration, our financial position may be regarded as satisfactory. The heavy expenditure in Marine Sorting noticed in the last Annual Report still continues, nor does there appear to be any means of lessening it.
•
12. The Government of this Colony having abolished the restrictions which were placed on the issue of subsidiary silver coin (only obtainable formerly at a premium or as a matter of great favour) it has been possible to keep the Post Offices of Hongkong and Shanghai always sufficiently supplied with change, a little matter perhaps, but one that has remedied a most inconvenient and not altogether creditable state of things.
13. Through the kindness of the London Post Office a lithographed portrait of the late Sir Row- LAND HILL has been placed in the main sorting room here as a memorial of that distinguished bene- factor to humanity.
14. It would be pleasant to bring the record of any year to a close without having to mention some disastrous day, but that good fortune has not yet occurred to the Hongkong Post Office. Ou December 29th (so nearly was the year well finished) a bag containing more than 300 letters for Foo- chow, the entire French and English mails in fact, was left behind in consequence of one of those com binations of circumstances against which neither vigilance nor organisation at times avail anything,
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