Sessional_Paper_1904 — Page 399

No.

HONGKONG.

REPORT ON THE POST OFFICE FOR THE YEAR 1903,

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

No. 35.

GENERAL POST OFFICE. HONGKONG, 13th April, 1904.

SIR,—I have the honour to submit the Annual Report on the Hongkong Post Office for the year 1903.

DEPARTMENTAL CHANGES.

2. Mr. E. C. LEWIS, the Assistant Postmaster General, went on leave on March 3rd, and on June 5th I was appointed to act in his stead. On October 2nd Mr. L. A. M. JOHNSON proceeded to Weihaiwei on public business and on his return was appointed to act as Treasurer. I was appointed to act as Postmaster General in place of Mr. Jonsston.

3. I attach a Table A shewing the actual number of Registered Articles and Insured Letters dealt with in this office during the year. The insured letters shew an increase of 177 per cent. on the figures of the previous year. It is probable that there has also been an increase in the number of Registered Articles, but comparison is difficult owing to the fact that for 1903 the figures represent the actual number of covers which passed through the office, while those for 1902 were an approximation. Table B shews the number of Bags, Packets, etc. which has been dealt with by this office. All the figures except Parcel Boxes despatched shew an increase, while the Packets and Bags which have passed through in transit have increased by 20,000. There is also an increase in the number of steamers carry- ing mails which have arrived and departed, the figures being 16,684 for the year under review as against 15,858 in 1902.

POSTAGE STAMPS.

4. I append a table shewing the monthly sales of stamps in Hongkong. The total amount was $351,306,64 an increase of $86,885.81 on the sales of the pre- vious year.

5. The sales of stamps at the British Agencies will be found in table D. The amount was $81,406.50 shewing a decrease of $8,839.52 on the takings of the previous year. The Shanghai and Canton offices are responsible for $7,276.97 of this decrease. In the former case the opening of the Siberian route to mails sent by foreign offices before the British office was able to send mails doubtless took away business from the Shanghai Agency. The decrease in Canton is due probably to the improved methods in the Imperial Chinese Office. There is little doubt that this will occur in other Agencies and that as the Chinese Postal Service comes into line with other countries in the Union, the receipts from the British Agencies will

diminish.

PARCEL POST.

Statistics of Parcels for the year 1903 are given in Table E. A direct con- parison of figures with those of the previous year is impossible as the figures for 1903 are actual.

The space provided in the Parcel Branch is inadequate. Structural alterations have been made in the Registration and Parcel Branch and there is now sufficient space for carrying on the ordinary routine work of the office but the rooms are too small for dealing in a satisfactory manner with the mails which arrive by the contract packets.

36 1904