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lighthouse yielded $437 and semaphore messages $535, making a total of $24,453.60 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 as against 846 with 106,114 words in 1917, and 1,475 were received consisting of 19,243 words as against 1,028 with 13,853 words in 1917.
Details are given in Tables XI and XII.
S.-MISCELLANEOUS.
This is the fifth report on the Post Office which has appeared since war broke out, and it is now possible to give some details as to the way in which the postal business of the Colony has been affected.
I give details in Tables XIII and XIV of all mails to and from the Colony which were destroyed by enemy action.
In spite of many losses Hongkong may, I think, regard itself as fortunate, and in spite of these losses, and of difficulties of transit, there was during 1918 an increase in almost every branch of postal business.
The sale of stamps is a very fair index to the general amount of outward business done, and the sales during the year amounted to $373,463.31. During the year the privilege of free postage which was granted to all troops in the Command was continued, and 279,443 letters, 4,450 postcards, and 8,314 other articles were posted free. The loss to the revenue was $11,522.00. Now this sum of $11,522 must obviously be added to the $373,463.31 mentioned above, if we wish to arrive at an estimate of the postal business transacted. This gives a total of $384,985.31 and this is the largest amount produced from the sales of stamps with the exception of the year 1913 when the sales amounted to $397,083.40 but in that year the sales were abnormal for the George V issue of stamps was placed on the market and there were large purchases from stamp dealers.
During the year 1,064,306 articles were handled by the Registration and Parcel Branch. This again is a record figure, the largest number handled previously being 1,026,558 in 1913.
In this connection I would like to mention that during the year no parcel or registered article was lost or stolen while in the custody of the Hongkong Posts. This reflects very great credit on all members of the staff concerned.
I have already mentioned that the Money Order transactions reached a higher figure than ever before, so also did the balance of profit on the year's working of the Post Office. I attach a Table which shows the Profit and Loss on the Post Office for the last twenty-five years,—Table XV.
The collapse of the Siberian Railway may be learnt from the figures of registered letters sent by that route. This service was started in 1909, when 24,024 registered letters were sent by this
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lighthouse yielded $437 and semaphore messages $5.35, making a total of $24,453.60 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 as against 846 with 106,114 words in 1917, and 1,475 were received consisting of 19,243 words as against 1,028 with 13,853 words in 1917.
Details are given in Tables XI and XII.
S.-MISCELLANEOUS.
This is the fifth report on the Post Office which has appeared since war broke out, and it is now possible to give some details as to the way in which the postal business of the Colony has been affected,
I give details in Tables XIII and XIV of all mails to and from the Colony which were destroyed by enemy action.
In spite of many losses Hongkong may, I think, regard itself as fortunate, and in spite of these losses, and of difficulties of transit, there was during 1918 an increase in almost every branch of postal business,
The sale of stamps is a very fair index to the general amount of outward business done, and the sales during the year amounted to $373,463.31. During the year the privilege of free postage which was granted to all troops in the Command was continued, and 279,443 letters, 4,450 postcards, and 8,314 other articles were posted free. The loss to the revenue was $11,522.00. Now this sum of $11,522 must obviously be added to the $373,463.31 men- tioned above, if we wish to arrive at an estimate of the postal business transacted. This gives a total of $384,985.31 and this is the largest amount produced from the sales of stamps with the excep- tion of the year 1913 when the sales amounted to $397,083.40 büt in that year the sales were abnormal for the George V issue of stamps was placed on the market and there were large purchases from stamp dealers.
During the year 1,064,306 articles were handled by the Regis- tration and Parcel Branch. This again is a record figure, the largest number handled previously being 1,026,558 in 1913.
In this connection I would like to mention that during the year no parcel or registered article was lost or stolen while in the custody of the Hongkong Posts. This reflects very great credit on all members of the staff concerned.
I have already mentioned that the Money Order transactions reached a higher figure than ever before, so also did the balance of profit on the year's working of the Post Office. I attach a Table which shews the Profit and Loss on the Post Office for the last twenty-five years,―Table XV.
The collapse of the Siberian Railway may be learnt from the figures of registered letters sent by that route. This service was started in 1909, when 24,024 registered letters were sent by this
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