1872 — Page 189

mission to cover expenses. It will be observed that whilst the amount remitted to the United Kingdom bas increased by £1,810.17.6 as compared with the amount in 1871, the amount of the Money Orders drawn in the United Kingdom upon China and Japan has remained almost nominal, it has however, exceeded that of the year 1871 by about £39. The total of the local Money Order transactions in 1872

only slightly exceeded that of 1871.

14. The question of the establishment of a Post Office Money Order system between Hongkong, Canton, Swatow, and Amoy on the one side, and the Straits Settlements on the other, has been fully considered, but, for the reasons set forth in my Report of the 10th September last, No. 39, it has not been considered expedient to take any steps to give effect to the scheme.

15. The proposal made by this Office, referred to at paragraph 8 of my last annual Report, that the postage on all correspondence forwarded by "private ship" between Hongkong and the Straits Settlements should be paid at the dispatching office only, and that the receiving office should deliver such correspondence without charge and pay the gratuity to the ship master, still remains in abeyance.

16. The practice of sorting the Mails at Sea, between Hongkong and Singapore, and the arrange ments under which the Shanghac Mails are sorted at this Office, instead of at sea as formerly, ready for immediate delivery on their reaching Shanghae, has continued to work satisfactorily. In consequence of the Mail from home arriving one day carlier, and the Mails from Hongkong one day later than formerly at Singapore, it was found impossible, on some occasions, to send the Marine Sorter by the British Packets in time for the return Mail, but by the liberality of the Agents of other steamers, they have been, so far, provided with passages to Singapore at little or no expense.

17. The usefulness of the British Post Office at Yokohama has not diminished as much as was anticipated, notwithstanding the increased service by the United States' Packets for a part of the past and I am glad to be able to report that a slight improvement has taken place in the revenue; but year, whilst the staff of the Office has been reduced, and a saving thereby cffected, the total expenses were not less in 1872 than in 1871, owing to a sum of $318.50 having been expended in repairs to the buildings.

18. The Report of my last tour of inspection of the Postal Agencies in China and Japan (20th July, 1871, No. 43), has already brought to your notice the l'ostal system inaugurated by the Japanese Government, and the information, printed and otherwise, I have afforded that Government on the English Postal system. The service is now performed by overland couriers. Pillar boxes are erected in the Foreign settlement and in the Native town at Yokohama; the postage from thence on a letter weighing less than an ounce to Kobe, Hiogo and Osaka is 4 cents, to Nagasaki 5 cents, to Necgata 3 cents, and for Ilakodate 5 cents; to Yedo a cent and, for every additional 25 miles beyond, one cent. Newspapers, books and packets of samples are charged 1 cent for every 2 ounces; the fee for registering a letter is 2 cents, and the regulations for the transmission of letters, books, samples, &c., are very similar to our own.

19. The correspondence forwarded to London in private Ship-Mails via Suez under the arrange ment published on the 20th December, 1871, by which such Mails are forwarded to their destination via Brindisi, has been very inconsiderable, although Mails forwarded by this route from Hongkong, on the 25th February by the Antenor, on the 10th March by the Patroclus, and on the 16th October by the Antenor, were delivered in London in 38, 39 and 40 days, respectively. The private Ship-Mail despatched on the 28th May by the Deccan from Shanghae was delivered in London in 13 days, and it arrived on the same day as the regular Mail which was forwarded from Shanghae by the British Contract Packet on the 19th May via Brindisi. The Mail which was despatched from Foochow foo by the Achilles on the 8th June was delivered in London in 45 days. The average number of days in which such Mails were delivered in London from Hongkong during the North East monsoon was 43, and during the South West monsoon 49. No private ship Mails were forwarded from the United Kingdom to China viâ Brindisi.

20. The following statement shows an increase in the gross Revenue of 1872 as compared with the gross Revenue of 1871, amounting to $9,105.87, but as the amount of uncollected revenue at the end of 1872 was $731.82 less than that which was outstanding at the end of 1871, the actual increase in 1872 is $8,374.05. The Revenue of the Colony has increased $10,191.59, whilst the Revenue of the Imperial Post Office has decreased £226.3.10.

21:

Total Revenue collected in 1879, (including profit in Exchange),

Do.

du.

1871, Do. do.

Total increase in 1872 as compared with 1871,

do.

Comparative Statement of Revenue.

.£40,258.9.11

£38,361.8. 94

£ 1,807. 1. 14

=$193,240,78 =8181,184.91

=8 9,105.87

Do.

do.

do.

Decrease in 1872, as compared with 1871,.

Amount of Colonial Revenue collected in 1872,

Do.

do. in 1871,

Do.

Increase in 1872, as compared with 1871, ... ... ... ... ....

Amount of Imperial Revenue collected | Remittances to London,..£8,131.17.6 £4,401.17. G

in 1872, Contribution to Agencies, 1,270, 0.0)

Contribution to Agencies,

1,970. 0.04,401.17.

24,628. 1. 4 1871,

926. 3.10

C

=$117.120.00 = 118,914.72

=8 1.083.79

a

$ 74,111.78 65,920.19

.$ 10,191.50