R-
R 11
In his annual report on the working of the Post Office for the year 1886, Mr. Lister says "The state of several of our Postal Agencies, specially those of Amoy and Foochow was taken into serious consideration. It was felt that the existing condition of affairs could not be allowed to go on, and that unsatisfactory as it might be for Hongkong to be saddled with the whole expense of improving these Agencies, improved they must be or abolished. These remarks must not be taken as implying any reflection on the officers in charge of the agencies in question, whose only fault is their inability to do impossibilities or be in two places at once. During the year 1886 there was considerable correspondence between Mr. Lister and Mr. Kopsch, the Chinese Postal Secretary. At this time our recognised Agencies were:-
17
• Canton, Swatow, Amoy, Foochow, Shanghai, Ningpo, Hankow and Tientsin,
There was also a sort of unrecognised Agency at Hoihow.
It was proposed by Mr. Kopsch that in place of these eight agencies, post offices should be opened by the Customs at 23 ports.
Mr. Lister in reporting this proposal to the Government states that "Hongkong maintains under very great disadvantages eight Post Offices in China. They are worked except Shanghai by Consular Officers, whose Consular duties naturally have to take precedence. Able and diligent as most of these gentlemen are, their frequent removals and the pressure of their other duties inevitably stand in the way of the attainment of any very high degree of efficiency. By the time a Postal Agent has learnt his duties he is due for transfer to another port." Mr. Lister and Mr. Kopsch however both went on leave, and as nobody else understood the matter or took any interest in the fate of the postal agencies the whole question was dropped.
In the course of the year 1890 the honorary agency at Hoihow was converted into a salaried agency, whilst the agency at Tientsin was discontinued.
The reason given for the withdrawal of the Tientsin Agency is that the amount of postal matter was inconsiderable. But it seems curious that Tientsin should have been withdrawn and Hoihow opened as a recognised agency in the same year. For Hoihow has always been the smallest of the agencies with the exception of Ningpo, and at least three times the amount of mail matter was handled at Tientsin as compared with Hoihow.
On the 1st September, 1899, a postal agency was opened at Wei Hai Wei. This agency has of course never been a British Agency in China; it is and always has been a British Post Office in British leased territory. It has however as far as accounting and discipline is concerned always been run by the Hongkong Postmaster, exactly as though it were an agency in China.
R-
R 11
In his annual report on the working of the Post Office for the year 1886, Mr. Lister says "The state of several of our Postal Agencies, specially those of Amoy and Foochow was taken into serious consideration. It was felt that the existing condition of affairs could not be allowed to go on, and that unsatisfactory as it might be for Hongkong to be saddled with the whole expense of improving these Agencies, improved they must be or abolished. These remarks must not be taken as implying any reflection on the officers in charge of the agencies in question, whose only fault is their inability to do impossibilities or be in two places at once During the year 1886 there was considerable correspondence be- tween Mr. Lister and Mr. Kopsch, the Chinese Postal Secretary. At this time our recognised Agencies were:-
17
•
Canton, Swatow, Amoy, Foochow, Shanghai, Ningpo, Hankow and Tientsin,
There was also a sort of unrecognised Agency at Hoihow.
It was proposed by Mr. Kopsch that in place of these eight agencies, post offices should be opened by the Customs at 23 ports.
Mr. Lister in reporting this proposal to the Government states that "Hongkong maintains under very great disadvantages eight Post Offices in China. They are worked except Shanghai by Con- sular Officers, whose Consular duties naturally have to take precedence. Able and diligent as most of these gentlemen are, their frequent removals and the pressure of their other duties inevitably stand in the way of the attainment of any very high degree of efficiency. By the time a Postal Agent has learnt his duties he is due for transfer to another port." Mr. Lister and Mr. Kopsch however both went on leave, and as nobody else understood the matter or took any interest in the fate of the postal agencies the whole question was dropped.
In the course of the year 1890 the honorary agency at Hoihow was converted into a salaried agency, whilst the agency at Tientsin was discontinued.
The reason given for the withdrawal of the Tientsin Agency is that the amount of postal matter was inconsiderable. But it seems curios that Tientsin should have been withdrawn and Hoihow opened as a recognised agency in the same year. For Hoihow has always been the smallest of the agencies with the exception of Ningpo, and at least three times the amount of mail matter was handled at Tientsin as compared with Hoihow.
On the 1st September, 1899, a postal agency was opened at Wei Hai Wei. This agency has of course never been a British Agency in China; it is and always has been a British Post Office in British leased territory. It has however as far as accounting and discipline is concerned always been run by the Hongkong Postmaster, exactly as though it were an agency in China.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.