abductoute
No. 57.
GENERAL POST OFFick, HongKNOO, 23rd September, 1869.
In 6054
SIR.
With reference to His Excellency Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell's minute, of the 2nd June, ou C. S. O. No. 1,444, I have the honor to report that I have completed the inspection of the Potal Agencies in China and Japan and I now beg to submit the result of the examination thereof,
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2. My first object in visiting each Agency was to ascertain by personal observation and enquiry, whether adequate facilities were afforded the Public in the receipt and delivery of their letters, &c., and, where I found existing arrange- ments capable of improvement, I at once adopted measures to that end. I then examined the Postage Stamps and Cash Accounts, as well as the letters, papers and packets lying undelivered.
3. At all the Ports, except Shanghai and Yokohama, the Post Office duties are performed by Consular Officers, (who are, in some cases, the junior Officers of the service;) and, on this account, it is not to be expected that the work can be so thoroughly done as it would be in the hands of experienced Officers of this Department; at the same time, I observed that they took some interest in the effective fulfilment of the postal labour imposed upon them, and that they were ready and even desirous, apparently, to receive practical suggestions and instructions.
4. At the ports of Swatow, Foochow, Ningpo and Nagasaki, the distances of the Consulates from the anchorage of the Steamers are so much farther than from the Merchants' quarter, that very few letters except those to be forwarded by the Mail Packets frem Hongkong are put into the Post Offices; therefore most of the letters for Ilongkong are placed loosely on board, and, in many cases, I fear, are handed to the Steamers' Agents here, who distribute them without the agency of the Post Office, a practice which I regret to say all efforts have failed to put an end to. It is, however, right to say that the Agents of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company, the Messageries Impériales and the Pacific Mail Company are exceptions.
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5. At Canton aul Amoy, although the Consulates are conveniently situated, the number of letters for Hongkong which are posted, is very inconsiderable, in fact at all the places mentioned in this and the previous paragraphs, the Post Offices are used chiefly for the receipt and delivery of letters to and from home, the sale of Postage Stamps, and, in exceptional cases, for the registration of letters. am satisfied that no possible alteration would induce the Merchants to send their letters through the Post Office while the Steamers are closer at hand, and while they offer the advantage of a later receipt of letters than the Post Office can possibly give.
The Honorable
J. GARDINER AUSTIN,
Colonial Secretary,
Hongkong.
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