Sessional_Paper_1902 — Page 675

No. 37.

HONGKONG.

REPORT ON THE POST OFFICE, FOR THE YEAR 1901.

Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government.

577

No. 28

1902

GENERAL POST OFFICE, HONGKONG, 5th April, 1902.

SIR,-I have the honour to submit the Annual Report on the Hongkong Post Office for the year 1901.

DEPARTMENTAL CHANGES.

2. Captain HASTINGS, the Postmaster General, after an absence of 18 months in England, returned to the Colony and resumed his duties on the 19th September. Unfortunately he was obliged through illness to remain at home after only a month in office, and, I regret to add, never returned to duty. During his absence I was in charge of the Department.

3. Twenty-eight new appointments were made during the year, and twenty-one clerks resigned or were dismissed. The new appointments included a Deputy Superintendent of the Money Order Office, three Assistant Marine Officers, and a Correspondence Clerk-all of these Officers were very much required with the increased business in the Department as a whole. The principal cause of the resig- nations was the fact that these men alleged that they could secure more remunerative employment, and less hard work, outside the Post Office.

4. The Postmaster at Shanghai, Mr. SOLLY, obtained his long delayed leave of absence and proceeded to England in April. There was considerable difficulty experienced in arranging for his duties, and the Government were obliged to transfer Mr. DIXON, the Superintendent of the Money Order Office, to act as Postmaster at Shanghai, the latter's place being taken by the Deputy.

5. Both of the Travelling Marine Officers at Shanghai resigned during the year, after but a short period of service, on the ground of the insufficiency of the salary attached to their Office. It was with some difficulty that their places could be efficiently filled.

INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL CorrespondeNCE.

6. A statement of the International and Local Correspondence received and despatched during the year will be found in Table A. It shews a satisfactory increase on the business of the previous year, the totals being-Received: Letters and Postcards (including 107 Insured and 258,720 Registered) 2,453,297; Other articles 1,563,590, and-Despatched: Letters and Postcards (including 153 Insured and 196,190 Registered) 2,639,013; Other articles 789,100.

7. I attach a summary-Table B-showing the number of bags, &c., received and despatched, which also shews an increase on that of 1900. The total number actually dealt with at this Office being Bags 81,269, Packets 8,678, Parcel Post Boxes 4,926, and Loose Letter Boxes 2,258. I have this year been able to give the number of steamers conveying these Mails, viz., 5,914 Inwards and 6,626 Outwards. Included in the former are 44 United States Mail Packets, 27 English P. & O. Contract Packets, 27 Messageries Maritimes Co.'s Packets, 26 German Mail Packets, and 14 Canadian.

year

8. It may be of interest also to mention that during the year the English mails were received at this Office on 2 occasions in 26 days, on 7 occasions in 27 days, on 11 occasions in 28 days, on 18 occasions in 29 days, and on other occasions in 30 to 35 days. On the two occasions referred to, once was by the P. & O. Contract Packet and the other by a German Mail Packet. Twice during the the mail by the Messageries Maritimes Co. had to be transferred, owing to accidents to their ships, on one occasion the transfer was made to a steamer of the Japanese European line, at Colombo, and on another to the P. & O. Mail steamer at Singapore. In the last mentioned case the Marine Officer, I am pleased to say, brought both mails sorted to Hongkong.

9. With the exception of the loss of the P. & O. Mail Steamer "Sobraon" while on her way from Shanghai to Hongkong in April, (on which occasion the mails were fortunately saved and reached Hongkong in time to be despatched by the next German Mail Packet leaving 5 days later), and also on two or three other occasions when there was a delay of a few hours, the Mail Packets left Hongkong at their regular and appointed times. These mails all reached London in good time with the exception of the mail despatched on the 3rd June by the Messageries Maritimes Co.'s steamer "Laos," when, owing to plague on board on her arrival at Marseilles and her being quarantined, the mails were some days late in arriving in London.

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