Sessional_Paper_1886-1887 — Page 307

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7. About twenty-five years ago there were no postage stamps here at all. All the merchants sent their letters to the Post Office just as they were, the letters were weighed, the postage marked on them, and the total charged to the merchants' accounts. When Sir HERCULES ROBINSON insisted on introducing Postage Stamps and prepayment, there was quite an outburst of discontent. The Governor was memorialised, and begged not to do anything of the sort, and when entreaties failed, dogged opposition was tried. Some of the merchants announced that they would not stamp their letters. Of course this position had to be abandoned.

8. The non-stamping of letters on the Coast is a relic of this time. All the inconvenience, and all the expense fall on Hongkong.

Hongkong. The practice can be stopped in three months with a little firmness, and those who most dislike the change will be the first to admit its salutary nature.

9. Should His Excellency approve of this proposal, I shall give the widest possible publicity to the notice, by sending a copy to every mercantile house south of Shanghai.

I have, &c.,

A. LISTER, Postmaster General,

Enclosure in Postmaster General's Letter No. 62 of 1886.

POST OFFICE NOTICE.

With reference to the Order in Council of September 24th, 1885, by which a Table of Rates of Postage was sanctioned, one of the regulations of which was that the prepayment of local postage between Hongkong and the Ports of China in either direction should be compulsory, His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government has been pleased to order as follows:-

On and after the first of March next, local correspondence received at Hongkong from the Ports of China, and not prepaid by means of Hongkong Postage stamps,

will not be delivered or sent on to destination.

Such correspondence will be returned to the senders, being opened for that purpose, if necessary, under the powers vested in the Postmaster General by section 16 of Ordinance No. 6 of 1884.

This notice applies especially to correspondence sent on board steamers for transmission otherwise than in the Mails.

A. LISTER, Postmaster General.

GENERAL POST OFFICE,

HONGKONG, 20th January, 1887.