Directory_and_Chronicle_1897 — Page 24

HONGKONG POSTAL GUIDE

Local Rates.

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11.-Circulars, Dividend Warrants, Invitations, Cards, Patterns, Bills, Almanacs, &c., for addressees in Hongkong, or the Ports of China, but not for Macao, in batches of not less than ten of uniform size and weight, may be sent to the Post Office unstamped, the postage, at the rate of one cent each, being paid in cash or charged to the sender's account. Special accounts may be opened with non-boxholders for the delivery of considerable numbers of such articles.

12. Such covers, when addressed to places other than Hongkong or China, must be prepaid two cents each in stamps.

13.--Circulars, &c., must not exceed 2 ounces each in weight. Patterns, Almanacs, &c., must be under 4 ounces each in weight. Heavier articles are charged ordinary rates.

14.-Envelopes containing patterns, &c., may be wholly closed if the nature of the contents be first exhibited or stated to the Postmaster-General, as he may consider necessary, and approved by him. Printed Circulars may be inserted in such Pattern Packets.

15.—Addresses must be complete. That is to say, on such covers as are not addressed to heads of houses, the addressee's residence or place of business must be added. In- completely addressed covers are returned to the sender for address.

MAIL ROUTES AND OPPORTUNITIES.

16.-All ordinary correspondence is sent on by the best opportunity of which the prepayment admits, unless especially directed or apparently prepaid for some other

route.

17.-Correspondence specially directed for any particular steamer is sent by her (failing any request to the contrary), however inany times her departure may be postponed. If it is postponed sine die, the correspondence is sent on by the next opportunity.

18.-Correspondence from the Coast marked via Brindisi or viá Marseilles is KEPT FOR THE ROUTE INDICATED even though that may involve a fortnight's detention. Unless this is intended, therefore, the safest direction is By first mail.

19.-- Letters from the Coast forwarded without prepayment are not delivered until the Hongkong Office has time to deal with them; paid covers are delivered at once. Unpaid papers are returned to the senders.

20.—It is not necessary to pay postage on covers from the Coast containing stamped correspondence for the homeward mails or local delivery.

21.--It is sometimes possible to overtake the French packet at Singapore by means of a direct private steamer. When this can be done Coast correspondence which arrived too late is so sent on.

22.-Mails may also be forwarded to London and ports of call by the tea steamers leaving China, either direct, or to catch the next contract mail at Singapore or Suez. Except by special request, only letters are sent in these mails.

Australia.

23.-There are two routes to Australia, viz., viá Torres Straits and vid Colombo. The Torres Straits route is the best for Eastern Australia as far as Sydney; for New Zealand, Tasmania and Fiji. All correspondence for these places is thus sent unless otherwise directed. Correspondence for Adelaide and Perth may be sent by this route.

24. The route viû Colombo is best for Western and Southern Australia. Each home- ward French Packet connects at Colombo with the P. & O. steamer which leaves that port for King George's Sound, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney.

Canada, the San Francisco Route, &c.

25.-The routes by Vancouver or San Francisco can be freely used for ordinary or registered correspondence for Union or Non-union countries. The making up of mails via San Francisco at Shanghai is left to the United States and Japanese Post Offices.

26.-When it is desired to forward letters to the United States by a sailing ship not notified as carrying a mail, all that is necessary is to post the letters in the ordinary way, marked with the name of the ship, and prepaid 10 cents per half ounce as usual. The Post Office then undertakes the duty of obtaining notice of departure and despatch- ing the correspondence.

MAIL TIME TABLES.

27.-Tables showing the dates of the departure of the contract nails and the dates when replies to letters are due in Hongkong are published separately.

Mail Notices.

28.-The dates and hours of closing all mails in the General Post Office are also published twice daily, except on Sundays and Holidays, in a Special Mail Notice.