Sessional_Paper_1902 — Page 676

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POSTAGE STAMPS.

10. The usual Statement of Monthly Sales of Stamps at Hongkong will be found in Table C. The total sales for the year amounted to $239,377.49, an advance on the sales of the previous year of no less a sum than $21,765.25. For comparison I may mention that the sales for the ten years pre- vious to this were as follows, and goes to prove that even with the adoption of the Penny Postage the loss sustained in 1899 is being quickly made up :-

1891, ......$ 92,275.87

1892, ...$ 99,895.42

1893, $108,198.09

1894, ......$121,755.27

1895,.....$151,166.48

1896, ......$161,983.46 1897, ......$181,459.50 1898,...$233,195.77 1899, ......$216,791.45

1900, ......$217,612.24

11. The sales of stamps at the Bristish Post Office at Shanghai and at the British Postal Agencies in China will be found in Table D, and amounted to $84,105.28, an increase of $6,599.12 on the previous year's receipts; the Shanghai Post Office receipts under this head being $38,749.64 in 1901 against $32,027.90 in 1900.

PARCEL POST.

The

12. Again this year the Parcel Post business shews a steady advance on the previous one. total number of those received (including 3,607 Insured) amounted to 43,161, and of those despatched (including 4,424 Insured) amounted to 38,679. Details will be found in Table E.

REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE.

13. The Revenue and Expenditure for the year 1901 will be found in Table F. It will be seen that the Revenue received from all sources was $355,912.74, exceeding that of 1900 by $30,309.41, and the Expenditure was $273,685.51, an increase of $38,422.43 on that of previous year. The net balance to the credit of Hongkong Post Office on the year's transactions amounted to $82,227.23.

MONEY ORDers.

14. The Money Order business done during the year 1901 was again a large one and exceeded that of the previous year by the sum of $79,762.03. The total amount of Orders issued and paid amounted to $621,381.26 and $560,521.39 respectively, I attach a statement of the year's transactions -Table G.

15. The sales of Imperial and Local Postal Notes in 1901-Tables H and I-amounted to £6,918.12s. 1d. and $8,093.06 respectively, and exceeded the sales of the previous year--the former by £768.148.11d. and the latter by $1,691.56. The selling rate of the Imperial Postal Notes ruled high for the greater part of the year owing to the uncertain and frequent fluctuations in the rate of exchange.

16. As already mentioned, a Deputy Superintendent of the Money Order Office was appointed owing to the increasing work in this Branch. This Officer's principal duties consisted of Indian Orders, and the Office was fortunate in being able to transfer an old and experienced employee in the person of Mr. Moosa to this work. As will be seen the Orders drawn on India in 1901 exceeded those of the previous year by the large sum of Rs. 101,524. The additional help so much needed had hardly been given before the Superintendent, Mr. DIXON, one of the most capable and efficient officers in the Service, was removed by being transferred temporarily to Shanghai, thereby handicapping the Office in a most

serious manner.

GENERAL.

17. I think I can fairly claim that the mails were delivered in as short a time after arriving at this Office as could reasonably be expected. I may mention the following averages-delivery to Box- holders by the French Packet was effected in 1 hour and 25 minutes after receipt, by the English Mail in 20 minutes after receipt, by the American Mail in 35 minutes after receipt, and by the German Mail in 1 hour and a quarter.

During the year many improvements were made to the Shanghai Office, and I am pleased to be able to state that this Office is much more used than formerly by the public. In the past it was report- ed they did not receive the courtesy and attention to which they were entitled and consequently went elsewhere.

Many Foreign Post Offices were established in China during the year at places where none formerly existed. At some places this Office had Agencies, but, unfortunately where we had not any, no Offices or Agencies have been opened. It is necessary, I think, that Postal Agencies should be established at