1876 — Page 196

21. The English Maii twice arrived unsorted during the year, cach time from a cause which

could not have been foreseen. The Messageries Maritimes Company have most kindly given per mission for the sorters to be sent to Singapore in the Company's packets when there are no other means of conveying them in time. Sincere thanks must also be tendered to the Agents of other steam lines, who give passages to the sorters on nominal terms every winter.

22. The Registration of letters at sen, mentioned in the Report for 1875, has been a complete success. Registered correspondence is now delivered almost as soon as landed.

23. The Department has suffered the loss of Mr. J. M. BARRADAS, late Marine Sorter, a faithful public servant, who died at Singapore. During the 84 years that he sorted the Mails at sea he made more than 100 trips to that l'ort, and it is not recollected that any complaint of his sorting was received. 24. The number of complaints received during the year has been trifling, they have related chiefly to missing periodicals or samples. In some cases the articles had been duly received, in others they

ad been detained as ineligible for transmission. No Registered Letter has been lost.

25. A letter was received here which was being sent round the world westward with a view to its subsequent exhibition at the Centennial Festival at Philadelphia. A payment of 5d. in America and of 2s. Id. in Hongkong would carry such a letter by the most advantageous route entirely round the globe in about 80 days. It would bear the dates of four Post Offices only, the Office of origin in America, San Francisco, Hongkong, and London; and the Postage Stamps of two, America and longkong Were it Registered the whole way the total cost would be increased to five shillings. But by availing of a private steamer from Hongkong, a letter could be sent entirely round the world, probably in less than 100 days, for Is. 1d., which would be thus divided:-

American Office,.

Hongkong Office,.................................. London Office....

....5d.

..3jd. ..4jd.

It is worth recollecting that for such trivial sums (which will be still smaller under the Postal Union) a letter is carried by steam across three great Oceans, and through such works as the Suez Canal, or the Mont Cenis Tunnel.

26. It is to be hoped, however, that sending letters round the world may not become a popular pastine, or it will constitute as serious a nuisance as the incessant demands of Postage-stamp collectors. The senders scem to forget that greenbacks, or the Postage-stamps of their own country, are not nvailable everywhere, and that the trouble they give leads to no practical result of any kind.

27. The subject of Revenue would indeed be discouraging were it not remembered how completely the service has been in a transition state during the whole year, and also that it has been working under nearly every possible disadvantage. The report for 1875 predicted (par. 14) “a further and perhaps a considerable decrease in Revenue." That this has been realised is only too evident from the following figures:-

1875.

1876.

Imperial Share of Revenue,...$110,894.43 $109,044.68 Decroase $1,849.75 Colonial Expenditure,.........$ 36,335.47 $ 37,934.34 Increase $1,598.87 Culonial Profit,

26,152.03 $13,828.13 Decrease $12,823.90

Gross Revenue,.....$173,381.93 $160,807.15 Decrease $12,574.78

28. It might appear from the above that the falling off of Revenue has affected this Department alone, and not the London Office. I, however, the sums credited to that Office are examined in Sterling instead of in Dollars a different result will be apparent. There was paid to the London Ollice in 1875,

£22,665 18 11 £21,217 8 0

in 1876,

Decrease,

...£ 1,448 10 11

or, at the average rate of exchange for the year, $7,446.34.

29. The increase of Colonial expenditure is mainly in payments to ship-masters, and to the American and Japanese Post Offices for the conveyance of Mails.

30. The net falling off in Colonial Revenue is $11,725.03, of which half at least has arisen from exchange in remitting to England. The remainder must be ascribed to the competition of the American and Japanese Post Offices at Shanghai, Hankow, Ningpo, Nagasaki, Hiogo, Yokohama, and to some extent at Foochow; to the development of the Shanghai local Post Office at most of the above Ports; to the great reductions in the profit this Office was making on correspondence to the Continent of Europe (see Report for 1875, pnr. 14); and to the lowering of the local rates of Postage; whilst unfortunately the new Post Office Ordinance, which is to lessen some of the outgoings of the Depart- ment, has not even yet received approval at home.

31. If even, however, it could be shewn that the whole decrease, instead of a small part of it, were due to the lowering of the local rates, the responsibility for that change would be accepted by this Department. The rates were too high, and the Hongkong Office was being left behind the times. Our revenue might be inade an excuse for any exorbitant charge whatever.

Under the Pustal Union only one payıncat would be necessary.