26
SUPPLEMENT TO THE HONGKONG GOVT GAZETTE OF 9ru JAN, 1886.
6. The sale of Postal Notes has kept up juring the year. They are a great convenience at the maller Ports, where Money Orders are not to be had. The steady decline in the value of silver has however, introduced some difficulty into the system. It is absolutely necessary to offer these notes for sale at a fixed rate of exchange, which of course must not be more than a trifle above the rate o the day. But, whatever rate has been fixed, exchange has always slipped down lower, thu necessitating frequent re-adjustment of account and leading to much trouble.
7. Siam has entered the Postal Union, and a properly organised Post Office has been opened a Bangkok under the direction of H. R. H. Somdet Phra Chow Nong Ya Tho Chow Fa Bhanurangs Swangwongse Krom Hluang Bhanuphanduwongse Woradej, Minister of Posts and Telegraphs. A kind of unrecognised agency of the Hongkong Post Office used to be maintained in the Consulate Genera at Bangkok, where Hongkong stamps were sold, and where a letter could be registered. The new service is in every way an improvement, and completes the chain of Post Offices which may now b said to encircle Asia, at least from Aden to Hakodate. The gradual opening of Corea has of course le to a considerable increase of correspondence for that country.
8. Perhaps the event of the year most interesting to the public has been the establishment of Parcel Post with the United Kingdom and several West Indian islands. This service is as yet in it infancy, but the following figures will show that it is likely to be largely availed of:---
Outward Parcels.
Date of Mail. Number of Parcels.
Net weight.
Total declared value.
Postage accruing to Colony.
October
13,
42
74 lb.
£ 54. 3. 0.
$ 9.00
21.
46
92 .
91.19. 5.
10.90
November 10,*
150
219
292. 2. 6.
28.90
24,
109
156
105. 7.10.
21.60
*
December 8,
88
158
108.16. 6.
19.10
22
68
128
102 .9.11.
15.90
TOTAL,...
503
827 lb.
£754.19. 2.
* Christmas and New Year Mail.
Inward Parcels.
$105.40
London Date.
Number of Parcels.
Net weight.
Total declared value.
Postage accruing to Colony
October
6,
102
208 lb.
£ 92. 0. 0.
$25.50
20
106
176
104. 2. 2.
21.90
November 3
102
206
18.1. 9. 7.
24.70
17
192
346
141. 5. 7.
"
43.30
TOTAL,...
502
936 lb.
£521.17. 4
$115.40
* Christmas and New Year Mail.
9. The contents of the parcels sent home have chiefly been these:-Bamboo-ware, beads, bronz carls, carvings, chinese ink, cigars, clothing, curios, drapery, dolls, d'Oyleys, fans, ferns, fru handkerchiefs, insects, jewellery, lace, lacquered-ware, manuscript, mats, needlework, patterns, peppe mint oil, photographs, pictures, pipes, porcelain, rugs, seeds, shells, silks and gauze, silver, skin sticks, tea, toys, watches.
The contents of parcels sent from home have been:-Accoutrements, arms, books, cake, car‹ clothing, cosmetics, cutlery, electro-plate, feathers, flags, flowers, fruit, haberdashery, instrumen jewellery, labels, lace, lamps, lamp-wick, leather, medals, medicine, millinery, music, needlewor patterns, perfumery, photograplis, pictures, price lists, silk and velvet, stationery, table linen, tel‹ copes, tops, watches.
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