CO129-489 - Governor Sir Stubbs & Sir Clementi - 1925 [8-12] — Page 347

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4.

The third query refers to a sum of $109.02,

for Recovery of 1922 Expenditure. This was a genuine over- payment to a Contractor in respect of the accounts for

September 1922 which was observed by the Auditor and

recovered in February 1923.

5.

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The fourth query and the most important one deals with the credit under the head of Transit Charges

of the Post Office for the years 1920 1922 of the sum of

$171,898.38. Hongkong has to undertake the transit of

Closed Mails sent from other Administrations of the Postal

Union, and is in the first instance responsible to the

Shipping Companies etc. concerned for their onward

conveyance from Hongkong. Payment is recovered from the

Administrations of origin of such mails at periods decided upon at the Postal Congress, and at the Maritime transit

rates fixed by the Postal Convention.

6.

The Statistics taken in May 1921 were

applicable to mails despatched during the years 1920/1923

inclusive; and the transit payments payable on the basis of those Statistics were not finally agreed upon until

late in 1922. The first payments to Hongkong in respect of the years 1920/1922 were received here in 1923. Transit

accounts are as a rule settled annually and are always

one year in arrear and this Government, therefore, loses

the interest on the money paid by it for that period. The

sum of $272,164.11 was recovered from China and other

Administrations in 1923 for the years 1920-1922.

7.

-

The actual rates of payment made locally are slightly lower than those collected under the Postal

Convention. This must of necessity be so, in order to

provide for any abnormal increase in the number of Transit

Closed Maila between the Statistical periods, and for the

expenses