Sessional_Paper_1900 — Page 470

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The Parcel Post transactions compared with those of the previous year will be found in Table E. Included in the total 26,866 Parcels received there were 2,215 Parcels Insured, and in the total 22,488 Parcels Despatched, 4,002 Parcels Insured.

Table F. contains the Revenue and Expenditure for the year compared with that of 1898. There was a slight increase under certain heads of revenue, but owing to the large decreases under that of Postage Stamps and Profit on Exchange, the total revenue received was less by $19,270.63.

I am glad, however, to point out that on the Expenditure side there was a decrease of $3,658.76. The net balance to the credit of the Hongkong Post Office on the year's transactions amounted to $80,006.60.

In Table G. will be found the details of the Money Order business done during the year. The total amount of orders issued and paid in Hongkong and Shanghai was $633,397.72 while in 1898 it amounted to $527,413.00. The sale of Imperial and Local Postal Orders exceeded that of 1898-the former by $1.000 and the latter by $300.

On the 1st September, 1899, a Postal Agency was opened at Liu Kung Tau, a writer on the Commissioner's staff being appointed the Agent. In the four months during which it was open the receipts there amounted to-Sale of Stamps $390.39, Unpaid Postage $34.65, Profit on Exchange $26.72, sale of Imperial Postal Notes $978.73 and Local Postal Notes $326.93. The expenses incurred since opening was for salary of Agent and pay of Postmen $156.80, Incidentals $55.55.

The Interception of Correspondence, received in the mails at this office addressed to other places, was made use of by many persons during the year and was certainly a convenience to those applying. By a few, however, it was thought an imposition that a fee should be charged for the privilege, and on one occasion it afforded the opportunity to a foreigner, in a near Port, to rather overstep the bounds of good manners. I am convinced that in offices doing far less business than Hongkong, and most certainly in larger ones, such applications would not be considered whether a fee was tendered or not.

During the year another attempt was made to carry out the results of the Conference held at this office in 1897, on the subject of partial postal union of China with Hongkong. After much correspondence between the l'ostinaster General and the Postal Authorities at Peking, and it had been submitted to London with a view to the preparation of the necessary Convention, I regret to say that owing to this Administration having been unable to accede to certain concessions subsequently proposed, this matter fell through.

Beyond some changes in the style of sorting cases there has been no improvements in the Post Office or lias there been any increase in the much-needed space. Light and ventilation are much required, and, with the long hours obtaining in this office, I may remark both are essential to the health and well-being of the employees. It is much to be desired that the new Post Office will soon be taken in hand.

The hours of attendance of the clerks of the Post Office, per week, far exceed those of the clerks. in any other Department, and often it means 12 to 16 hours on a stretch with the shortest time possible allowed for meals to be taken on the premises. The average daily attendance invariably exceeded 8 hours. Besides, Sundays are not infrequently days as fully occupied as week days, owing to the arrival on many Sundays in the year of Contract Mails from Europe, principally the French Mail. While on this subject I may be permitted to allude to the insufficiency of the staff which not only rendered it often nigh almost impossible to get through the work in proper time, more especially when it happened that there were two Contract Mails going out the same day and one arriving, but in the case of the illness of any of the staff the duties of the absent oues fell, of necessity, on the remaining already overworked members. It was strongly recommended by the Postmaster General in his Annual Report for 1898, written shortly after his assumption of the duties of this Department, that at least six additional clerks should be given, and after some longer experience, he was forced to urge for still further help. His first recommendations were approved by the Secretary of State, and six Armenians from the Apcar College, Calcutta, were engaged, to join on the 1st January, 1900.

His

During the eight months of 1899 that I have been in the Department, I think it but right to state the pleasure it gave me to work with and under the Postmaster General. energy and Dever- wearying anxiety to improve the conditions then existing of the Hongkong Post Office, was, I think, known and recognised; and in the Department it served, without doubt, as a direct incentive to the subordinates to follow his example and to carry out their duties in a more earnest and careful manner.

I am compelled in all justice (but at the same time have pleasure in so doing) to express my satisfaction with the older members of the staff as well as with some of the juniors for their ready and willing service. Some of these latter are very promising, and I can but hope, that with the anticipated increase of the initial salary, approved as from the 1st January, they will continue to progress, and also make up their minds to remain in the Post Office, instead of, as in the past, using this office as a stepping stone to something better.

The usual number of complaints regarding the alleged loss, delay or missending of unregistered letters were frequently inade, but in many cases the Office was without blame, and looking to the circumstances surrounding the Hongkong Post Office, I do not think they were exceptional. On the other hand, I regret to have to refer to the complaints regarding the loss of Registered Letters and Insured Parcels, and which, unfortunately, was in many cases only too well proved. After a very searching examination of all the books kept in the Registration Department, (nost efficiently carried through after office hours, by Mr. DIXON of the Money Order Office with the assistance of Messrs.