CO129-323 - Acting Governor May Governor Nathan - 1904 [6-7] — Page 145

CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案 All AI Reviewed

144

6.

I attach a list of clerks who have resigned recently showing their present pay as compared with their previous salaries.

7.

A number of the more recently recruited clerks work hard and do their best but they will, as far as can be seen, never develop into good postal officers. What is required is a much better class of man than is at present obtained and this can only be got by offering better pay and removing some of the more hopeless to less exacting Departments.

8.

The staff is too small in the General Office to admit of clerks specializing, say, into (a) sorting letters for local delivery, (b) sorting letters for despatch, (c) closing and despatching mails, and few ever attain proficiency in all three points. The result is constant mistakes involving delays and much correspondence.

9.

It is highly desirable that a better grade of clerk and shroff be employed in the Enquiry Office and Poste Restante and at the Stamp counter. Neither of the Compradores nor any of the Shroffs have any real knowledge of English and they have great difficulty in understanding the Public and in making themselves understood, and further, the technical information furnished in the Postal Guide is beyond their comprehension. The services of four Stamp-vendors are required at the counter and all these ought to be sufficiently well educated and experienced to be able to answer or to know where to go and get an answer to any enquiries the public may make. Similarly, in the Poste Restante, foreigners and ship passengers often have trouble at the counter owing to this difficulty.

10.

The Senior Clerk deals with the distribution of letters to postmen, none of whom read English and the address of each letter has to be read out in Chinese. To check these would involve much delay and confusion between similar names constantly.

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144 6. I attach a list of clerks who have resigned recently showing their present pay as compared with their previous salaries. 7. A number of the more recently recruited clerks work hard and do their best but they will, as far as can be seen, never develop into good postal officers. What is required is a much better class of man than is at present obtained and this can only be got by offering better pay and removing some of the more hopeless to less exacting Departments. 8. The staff is too small in the General Office to admit of clerks specializing, say, into (a) sorting letters for local delivery, (b) sorting letters for despatch, (c) closing and despatching mails, and few ever attain proficiency in all three points. The result is constant mistakes involving delays and much correspondence. 9. It is highly desirable that a better grade of clerk and shroff be employed in the Enquiry Office and Poste Restante and at the Stamp counter. Neither of the Compradores nor any of the Shroffs have any real knowledge of English and they have great difficulty in understanding the Public and in making themselves understood, and further, the technical information furnished in the Postal Guide is beyond their comprehension. The services of four Stamp-vendors are required at the counter and all these ought to be sufficiently well educated and experienced to be able to answer or to know where to go and get an answer to any enquiries the public may make. Similarly, in the Poste Restante, foreigners and ship passengers often have trouble at the counter owing to this difficulty. 10. The Senior Clerk deals with the distribution of letters to postmen, none of whom read English and the address of each letter has to be read out in Chinese. To check these would involve much delay and confusion between similar names constantly.
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144 6. I attach a list of clerks who have resigned recently showing their present pay as compared with their previous salaries. 7. A number of the more recently recruited clerks work hard and do their best but they will as far as can be seen never develop into good postal officers. What is re- quired is a much better class of man than is at present obtained and this can only be got by offering better pay and removing some of the more hopeless to less exacting Departments. 8. The staff is too small in the General Office to admit of clerks specializing say into (a) sorting letters for local delivery, (b) sorting letters for despatch, (c) closing and despatching mails, and few ever attain proficiency in all three points. The result is constant mistakes involving delays and much correspondence. 9. It is highly desirable that a better grade of clerk and shroff be employed in the Enquiry Office and Poste Restante and at the Stamp counter. Neither of the Compradores nor any of the Shroffs have any real knowledge of English and they have great difficulty in understanding the Public and in making themselves understood, and further the technical informa- tion furnished in the Postal Guide is beyond their comprehension. The services of four Stamp-vendors are required at the counter and all these ought to be sufficiently well educated and ex- perienced to be able to answer or to know where to go and get an answer to any enquiries the public may makę. Similarly in the Poste Restante foreigners and ship passengers often have trouble at the counter owing to this difficulty. 10. The Senior Clerk deals with the distribution of letters to postmen none of whom read English and the address of each letter has to be read out in Chinese. To check these would involve much delay, and confusion between similar names constantly i
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144

6.

I attach a list of clerks who have resigned recently showing their present pay as compared with their

previous salaries.

7.

A number of the more recently recruited clerks work hard and do their best but they will as far as can

be seen never develop into good postal officers. What is re- quired is a much better class of man than is at present obtained

and this can only be got by offering better pay and removing

some of the more hopeless to less exacting Departments.

8.

The staff is too small in the General Office

to admit of clerks specializing say into (a) sorting letters for

local delivery, (b) sorting letters for despatch, (c) closing

and despatching mails, and few ever attain proficiency in all

three points. The result is constant mistakes involving delays

and much correspondence.

9.

It is highly desirable that a better grade

of clerk and shroff be employed in the Enquiry Office and Poste

Restante and at the Stamp counter. Neither of the Compradores

nor any of the Shroffs have any real knowledge of English and

they have great difficulty in understanding the Public and in

making themselves understood, and further the technical informa-

tion furnished in the Postal Guide is beyond their comprehension.

The services of four Stamp-vendors are required at the counter

and all these ought to be sufficiently well educated and ex-

perienced to be able to answer or to know where to go and get an

answer to any enquiries the public may makę. Similarly in the

Poste Restante foreigners and ship passengers often have trouble

at the counter owing to this difficulty.

10.

The Senior Clerk deals with the distribution

of letters to postmen none of whom read English and the address

of each letter has to be read out in Chinese. To check these

would involve much delay, and confusion between similar names constantly

i

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