Sessional_Paper_1908 — Page 337

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MAILS.

7. The number of mail bags and packets dealt with in the General Post Office, Hong- kong, amounted to 168,141 as against 160,921 in 1906 being an increase of 7,220. Further details are given in Table I.

REGISTRATION AND PARCEL BRANCH.

8. Registered articles and parcels handled in Hongkong amounted to 856,415 as against 770,820 in 1906, an increase of 85,595. Further particulars are given in Table II.

REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE.

9. A statement of Revenue and Expenditure is given in Table III. Revenue amounted to $445,420.92 shewing an increase of $24,966.88 over that of 1906 and an excess of $27,220.92 over the estimate. Expenditure amounted to $366,452.47 being an increase of $6,968.39. The excess of Revenue over Expenditure being $78,963.45, an increase of $17,998.49 compared with last year. The profit was therefore 17% of the revenue.

POSTAGE STAMPS,

10. Table IV shows a comparative statement of the sale of postage stamps at the various British Post Offices in China for the years 1906 and 1907. Table V shows the number of stamps of different denominations issued for sale during the years 1906 and 1907. A six cent stamp was introduced during the year, as under the new postage rate for Union Countries the postage on every succeeding ounce after the first is 6 cents.

MONEY ORDERS.

11. Although exchange ruled high during the year, the issue of money orders has decreased, while, on the other hand, the payment has largely increased. (Table VI.) The fact of the increase of the issue of orders on Japan is owing to Hongkong being the intermediary for the exchange of money orders betweeen Australia and India and the other British Possessions in the East with Japan. About £1,000 of the increase in the sale of Imperial Postal Orders is accounted for by the establishment of another agency at Tientsin.

12. Remittances to the Colony by the means of Imperial Postal Orders have become more popular and are yearly increasing in volume. The reduction in the amount of com- mission on Local Postal Notes from 2% to 1% effected in 1905 has resulted in the marked increased use of this means of remitting money. $22,877 in 1907 against $12,728 and $15,497 in 1905 and 1906 respectively.

13. The exchange of money orders with Macao, hitherto between Hongkong and Macao only, has been extended to all the British Agencies established in China. Direct exchange with Kiautschou also came into force in 1907.

14. A system of advice of payment of money orders, to be furnished to the remitter by the paying office at a fee of 10 cents for each order, was introduced, but the public has not availed itself of this innovation.

15. With a view to expediting the payment of money orders in the United Kingdom a new system of dealing with the advices has been introduced. Instead of forwarding all the advices together with the money order list to the exchange office of London for onward transmission to the paying office, these documents, after being certified, are sent direct from Hongkong to their respective offices of payment under separate covers. This arrangement has been found to possess considerable advantage over that previously in force, inasmuch as payment has frequently been effected a day and sometimes two days, earlier than could possi- bly have been the case under the old system.

16. On the first December a new system inaugurated by the Post Office of the Straits Settlements was introduced for the purpose of providing illiterate coolies with a means of taking their savings back to China by means of money orders payable to bearer without any question being raised as to identification. As up to date only $150 has been sent this system. does not appear to find favour.