124
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 21ST MARCH, 1868.
from the Post Office Agencies at the Ports in China and Japan is $5,019.22 cents less at the end of 1867 than it was at the end of 1866, and therefore the increase in the Colony's Revenue for 1867 is really only $1,575.32 in excess of the previous Year, which may be accounted for by improved arrangements at Shanghae, and, in some measure, to the Colonial Revenue derived from Mails carried by the new line of Pacific Steam Ship Company's Vessels, running between this place and Yokohama and San Francisco, which was inaugurated in February last Year.
3.
Comparative Statement of Revenue. Total amount of Revenue collected during the Year 1867,
Do.
do.
do.
Total excess in 1867 as compared with 1866,
1866,
Total amount of Imperial Revenue collected in the Year 1866,
Do.
1867,
do.
do.
Total deficiency in 1867 as compared with 1866,
Total amount of Colonial Revenue collected in 1866,
Do.
do.
do.
1867,
Total excess in 1867 as compared with 1866,
£34,787.19. 0 =$166,982.17
34,144. 6. 8
163,892.80
£
643.12. 4}
=
=$ 3,089.37
• £23,338.19.10 = $112,027.17
22,608.15. 0
L
730.04.103
108,522.00
$ 3,505.17
$51,865.63 58,460.17
8 6,594.54
4. Although, as I have before pointed out, the Revenue of the Post Office is not perfect evidence of the amount of duty performed, it may be looked upon to some extent in that light, and I fully anticipate that so soon as the power, obtained by the Imperial Post Master General under the 22nd Clause of the New Contract which he has entered into with the Peninsular and Oriental Steain Navigation Company, to fit up the Packets running between Singapore and Hongkong, and Hongkong and Shanghae, with the necessary appliances to admit of the Mails being sorted on board the Packets, is exercised, the Revenue will be much increased, as the acceleration in the delivery of the Correspondence, which this sorting en route will bring with it, will take from the Public the plea, if so it may be called, for sending any letters otherwise than through the medium of the Post Office; the necessary arrangements for giving effect to this measure are now under the consideration of the Imperial Postal Authorities and its introduction will, I apprehend, necessitate the remodelling of the Department, for whilst fewer Officers will be required at the time of the receipt or dispatch of an English Mail, a considerable staff will still have to be kept up to work the Mails by the French and Pacific Steamers as well as those by the numerous other Vessels, frequenting this Port.
5. During the Year 1867, the Postal Agencies at the Ports and those ports where no Agencies of the Post Office exist, but where it was proposed to establish Agencies, have been inspected by myself and Mr. Rea from St. Martins-le-grand with a view to assessing the conditions, and completing arrangements for their immediate transfer to the exclusive control of this Government, and much information has been gained and many improvements effected thereby, the carrying out of which either await the authority of Treasury Warrants, which are in course of being obtained, or further consideration at home.
-
6. A reciprocal Postal Convention has been entered into by the Colony and the United States' Post Office, for the con- veyance of Mails between Hongkong and Yokohama and San Francisco, which, whilst being convenient to the two Postal Departments in avoiding the necessity for keeping accounts, is also advantageous to the Public.
7. An arrangement has been made for accounting for the Mails from London to Hongkong and vice versa by bulk weight instead of Letter by Letter, which has resulted in a great saving of time and the keeping of less complicated accounts without entailing any loss to the Colonial Revenue, and it has also been arranged that the regulation, under which Letters for any places in China and Japan could not be forwarded from the United Kingdom unpaid or insufficiently prepaid, has been abolished, and such Letters are now sent from London to these places, the unpaid postage being charged against this Office and accounted for by it to London.
8. The Mails between the United Kingdom and this Office are now sent in bags instead of Boxes as formerly, a system which has been adopted as a matter of economy. I have been informed that the Mail Boxes for the service generally, cost the Imperial Office upwards of £5,000 per annum, and it is anticipated that the bags will cost considerably less, and it is also said that bags stow in less space than boxes, for whilst they take up no unnecessary room, boxes which it is sometimes necessary to send only partially filled with correspondence take up much more space on board the Packets; the use of bags however is in my opinion much to be deprecated, as they do not afford the same protection as Boxes do, and in many cases it has been observed that Letters are much mutilated by friction in the bags.
9. A concession has been obtained in gaining permission for the Agents of this Department at Shanghae and Yokohama to make up Mails for the United Kingdom to be forwarded by the French Packets which has given very general satisfaction, and I hope soon to see that Mails per French Packet will be made up in the United Kingdom for delivery from the British Post Offices at these places.
10. The Expenditure of the Department for the Year 1867, so far as the same has been defrayed by the Colony, amounts to $26,278.95, which includes the sum of $3,427.66 paid for the conveyance of Mails by private ship, a sum 8987.85 in excess of that paid in the previous Year for similar services; the total Expenditure in 1867 was therefore $1,077.51 in excess of that for 1866, whilst the sum disbursed by the Imperial Office in the maintenance of the Postal Agencies at the Ports amounts to £870.0.0.
11. It has been found necessary owing to the growing importance of the duty in Japan to establish a Post Office at Yokohama entirely independent of the Consulate, which is to be maintained at a cost of £500 per annum, from Imperial funds and £300 per annum from the Colony, and Mr. Simpson, late Assistant Postmaster General at Hongkong, has been sent there to carry on the service. This step has necessitated the temporary promotion of each of the remaining Officers, pending the arrival of an Assistant Postmaster General from home.
12. The amount realized by the sale of Postage Stamps during the Year 1867 was $128,176.24 of which Stamps of the value of $80,350.96 were sold in Hongkong and the remainder, viz.: $47,825.28, at the Ports; the following is a list of the number and value of each kind of Postage Stamps sold, viz:-
190,534 Stamps @ 2 cents each,
114,963
$ 3,810.68
156,925
179,851
""
وه
وو
""
>>
4,598.52
9,415.50
44,423
12
14,388.08
12
"}
""
17,636
5,330.76
18
**
""
""
105,220
3,174.48
24
??
21
JJ
25,252.80
73,545
30
})
多多
35
33,799 24,915
22,063.50
48
27
"
16,223.52
96
}}
23
"
23,918.40
Total,.
$128,176.21
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.