1877 — Page 201

height of the Tea and Silk season, the results must have been greatly exaggerated. Finally, statistics were taken during the first 28 days of December. It is proposed that in future the statistical periods be May and November, which, except by limiting them to 28 days each, are perhaps not susceptible of improvement.

8. It is greatly to be hoped that a few years' experience will lead to what must be regarded as the only satisfactory solution of the question, viz., that each Union Country shall pay a commuted annual sum to a common fund for reimbursing the Governments which provide transit, this payment ensuring liberty to forward all the correspondence there may be to send, anywhere within the Union, by any route, and thus almost realising the popular idea, that there is nothing to do with letters but to put them into bags and send them off.

9. The Period of Statistics for 1877 having been fixed so late as December, it is not possible to speak with any certainty of the financial result of the year. With one exception, all claims of the London Office bave been paid to date, but as regards other countries, this Department has been receiving the entire Postage on correspondence despatched since April 1st, and paying nothing for contract convey- ance, nor is it yet known what there will be to pay to France, Italy, &c., on this account. The balance

at the end of the year, after paying working expenses and all claims which have been received, is $37,919.30, but out of this there is the Crown Agents' account to settle, sea and other conveyance by foreign countries to be paid for, and nine months' proportion of the annual sum of £3,150 due to the London Office to be provided. Bearing this in mind then, the financial position on December 31st was as follows:-

1876.

1877.

Imperial Share of Revenue, ...$109,044.68 $ 54,615.21 Decrease $54,429.47 Colonial Expenditure,.. $ 37,934.34 $38,072.77 Increase $ 138.43 $ 13,828.13 $37,919.39 Increase $24,091.26

$160,807.15 $130,607.37 Decrease $30,199.78

Balance in hand,

Gross Revenue,

10. Part of the large decrease in the Imperial share of Revenue arises from the fact that the sums due to all other countries used to be paid to London on their account, but since the entry of this Colony into the Union this practice has been aban-loned.† and such sums will be remitted direct.

11. No considerable increase of correspondence was anticipated by this Department as a result of lowering the rates of Postage; on the contrary, it was always maintained that no such increase would take place. These views are now proved correct. The weight of letters forwarded to London by all routes from April 1st to December 31st, as compared with the weight of those forwarded during the Baine period in 1876, shows an increase of only 3 per cent, which may be purely accidental.

12. The question arose whether Mails forwarded by private vessels come under the operation of the Treaty of Berne, this Office maintaining that they do, which view has been supported by the various Postal administrations. A decision to the contrary would have been much to be regretted.

13. Some years ago the mercantile community expressed a wish to have a supplementary mail closed on board the French as on board the British Packets, but the difficulties of account alluded to above were found to be almost insuperable. These are now removed, and the question has been revived by the French Post Office. There is every reason to hope for its favourable settlement early in this year. A supplementary mail on board the Torres Straits Packets has been successfully

established.

14. The transmission of correspondence to the Continent via Trieste has been abandoned, no practical advantage arising from it. On the other hand a quicker route via Naples for Continental correspondence by French Packet has been introduced. It is suggested that the superscription vid Marseilles should now be discontinued, and the words By French Packet used instead, as this will leave the Agent on Board free to select the best route.

15. The increasing acceleration of the outward British Packets, with the retardation of the outward French Packets has been gradually bringing the two arrivals nearer together, until now they nearly or sometimes quite coincide. This is most inconvenient, both to the public and departmentally. Instead of there being one opportunity of the best class for Shanghai and Yokohama every week, the two coincident packets really furnish only fortnightly communication. In the case of Yokohama this is particularly to be regretted, because there are but few private steamers to fall back upon.

16. The usual Tables are appended. It will be remarked that they show some increase in Money Orders drawn on the United Kingdom, due perhaps to the more favourable rates of exchange which have prevailed.

17. The quickest passages home have been made by the Messageries packets. The Mail once reached London vià Marseilles in 34 days (Priho), and twice in 3 days. The shortest passage

35 by P. & O. packet has been 38 days. The Gadie once, and the Oceanie twice reached San Francisco in 25 days.

18. The quickest passages out have been made by the P. and O. packets, which have delivered the mails seven times within 36 days. The Messageries Packet Ava arrived on May 12th, and the Sindh on September 1st with Mails 37 days from London. The Oceanic on May 18th, and City of Toki on June 25th were arrivals 28 days out from San Francisco.

• Blace writing the above, $49 has been paid to Butavia for sea-conveyance of correspondenen originating in Hongkong or its Agencies between Blogapore and Batavia by Netherlands packets from May 1st to December 31st.

+ Except in regard to the Maila for London transported through Italy, &c., or by French Packet,