August 22, 1908.]
|
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
#1
CHINESE V. FOREIGN
POST OFFICES.
по
he Secretary reports that unprecedented to the importance the Postal Administra- development marks all branches of the work. tion attaches to " face." Everyone knows We can form some idea of this expansion how greatly the Chinese are impressed by when it is stated that postal articles appearances, and a recognition of that fact letters, postcards, newspapers &c.-which has induced some of the Foreign Powers to had risen from 76 millions in 1905, to build palatial consulates in ports where nearly 118 millions in 1906, showed n their commercial interests are not very con- further increase in 1907 of 50 per cent, and siderable. When the Postal Administration totalled no less than 167 millions. The was inaugurated considerations of economy number of parcels carried have just about made it necessary that cheap premises doubled in three years, while money orders should be occupied, and in many instances issued, which represented Â. value of these were rented in lack streets or suburbs $1,280,000 in 1905, and of $2,339.000 in away from the busy quarters of the town. 1906, rose in 1907 to 88,375,000.
The consequence has been that the very South China has contributed its due pro-existence of the Post Office has often portion to this development. The South remained unknown to those who should China postal division comprises the pro- resort to it most." It has been proved to vinces of Fukien, Kwangtung, Kwangsi and be a great mistake and the wisdom of a Yunnan, with an estimated population of change of policy has been domonstrated 724 millions, and progress in this division only by a rapid increase in receipts, but also is represented by an increase of 155 estab- by demonstrations of popular approval. lishments, bringing the total up to 818; while the increase in mail matter received and dispatched has been from 15 million articles in 1906 to 20 millions in 1907, and parcels from 288,000 to 337,000. The province of Fukien for postal purposes is
(Daily Press, August 20tb.) divided into two districts-Foochow and Yesterday we summarised and commented Amoy-and in both districts is steady upon some of the principal features of the development shown.
In the Foochow Report of the Chinese Imperial Postal district the mail matter received and Administration for the 33rd year of KWANG dispatched had increased from 2,400,000 Hsu, and to-day we desire to draw attention to 2,900,000 articles, and in the Amoy to the remarks the Postal Secretary has to district from 1 to 2 million articles. The make with regard to the relations of the Amoy Postmaster writes: "In reviewing Imperial Chinese Post Office with the the work of the past year it must be Foreign Post Offices. These relations admitted that rapid strides have been made are inevitably not of the happiest descrip- in every direction. Complaints to the Head tion. The extension of the British Imperial Office are almost unknown, while much Penny Postage scheme to the agencies in satisfaction is expressed verbally by the China of the Hongkong Post Office con- residents of the port and letters to the same atitutes one large bone of contention. effect are frequently received from inland Though China is not yet a member of the places. Our Changchow to Tingehow fast Postal Union, "recognition of the Union day-and-night courier service has proved a tariff of postage forms the basis of every great success and it would not be too much postal agreement China has entered into to say that it vies with any courier liue with foreign countries," and she has strong functioning under the same difficulties in objections to letters from the United any part of the world. The distance Kingdom and British Colonies coming to traversed is 640 i (213 miles), with six China on the British intra-Empire rate of mountains and several rugged bills to be one penny or 10 centimes, instead of on the negotiated en route, certain parts being Jnion rate of 25 centimes. Against the infested with tigers and other wild animals.extension to post offices established on Notwithstanding these obstacles, the time Chinese soil of this non-Union rate, which occupied in traversing from point to point is is admittedly only applicable to places with. only 66 hours, whereas formerly mails were in the British Empire, China," says Mr. often as long as five weeks on the road." HIPPISLEY, "bas, for political reasons, Coming to the Kwantung province, the consistently protested, and must continue to Report sys that progress here continues protest as an infringement of her rights as to be satisfactory. In the Swatow district an independent State; more especially as 16 new establishments, and in the re- China appears to be the only sovereign mainder of the province, which is adminis- nation to which this rate is applied. Such tered by the Postal Commissioner stationed letters, therefore, continue to be taxed at Canton, 72 new establishments were when handed to the Chinese Administration opened. The increase of mail matter in the for delivery." Mr. HIPPISLEY goes on to Swatow district was 900,000 to 1 million remark that these alien post offices were articles, and in the remainder of the originally established at Treaty ports for the province from 9 to 13 million articles. convenience of the foreign merchants doing "The most remarkable feature of the year,' business there in the transmission of their says the Postal Secretary, "has been the correspondence with other countries; "but extraordinary increase in the number of they have long ceased to exist for this letters for local delivery, which jumped from object alone, and in many ways consider 44 to 455 thousand. This local Chinese ably increase the difficulties of the Chinese business is of recent growth and is a most administration." What object is served encouraging indication that the residents by the British Postal agencies other thau in Canton city are transferring their patron- the convenience of the foreign merchants age from the native postal hongs to the at the ports in which these agencies are Government administration." Another in- established we do not know. When the dication in the same sense is the closing of Hongkong Government last year resolved five hoogs during the year, four of which to close its postal agency in Tientsin very sent mails to Shanghai and coast ports and strong protests were made by the foreign one to Hongkong and Macao, leaving nine merchants in that Treaty port, who in order only in the Canton city still doing business, to maintain the existence of the agency got and 34 only, against 71 in 1901, on the re- a fund together to guarantee the Hongkong gister for the entire Canton district. We can Government against loss. By maintaining not in a single article touch upon all the points that agency the Colony was incurring a loss of interest in this Report, and we may bring of about $7,500 a year and the protests made the present article to an end by an allusion in Tientsin against the decision to close the
|
61
|
183
agency seems to afford substantial proof that these agencies have not yet outlived their period of usefulness.
An annoying incident is quoted which shows that this is not the only grievance which the Administration has against the alien post offices. "It has long been the practice for the Chinese emigrants to Siam to receive and forward correspondence with their families-not in single letters, but in packages of scores or perhaps hundreds of letters clubbed together. This practice worked, however, so seriously to the detri- ment of the postal revenue of both China and Siam that the Administrations of the two countries found it necessary to take measures to correct it. Naturally strong opposition was aroused on the part of both the emigrants in Siam and of their families in China, appeals being made by both to their national authorities to prevent any increase in the postage. This opposition had just been successfully surmounted, and the new procedure put into operation, when the alien post offices intervened by offering to accept clubbed' packages to charge postage on the gross weight only, with the result that the arrangements came to had to be abandoned. " This seems to us to be a legitimate grievance and it would be interesting to know under what rule or regulation of the Foreign Post Offices this practice is sanctioned.
considerable interest to Hongkong is the Another paragraph in the Report of
following: ---
since the Rome Convention has come into effect, As a consequence of the procedure adopted
the Hongkong Post Office has reduced its postage on letters from that British Colony to Shanghai from cents per half-ounce to 4 cents per ounce. This change would seem to neces sitate a corresponding reduction by this Ad- China to Hongkong. If that be so, it is sug- ministration in the postage on letters from gested that it would be politic to go a step further and to formulate the change in a reduc- tion of postage to 2 cents on every half-oauce. To confine the reduction to I-ounce weights would tend to perpetuate the practice of clubbing letters together, seeing that it is calculated that on an average the weight of seven of the Chinese letters sent from Hongkong does not exceed an weighing on the average but little short of half ounce; in the North these are much heavier,
an ounce. To make the rednotion apply equally to the balf-ounce would effect an appreciable reduction in the postage on single letters, and would thus tend to remove the advantage secured by olubbing letters, especially if measures be
simultaneou-ly adopted to accelerate delivery,”
Finally we have to note that as a matter of principle China has been resisting the practice of the foreign post offices of handing over to the Chinese Imperial Post Office for delivery letters originating in China which were posted at their offices franked with their stamps. As the Chinese domestic tariff is considerably lower than that of the foreign offices this practice was not likely to result in any serious diminu- tion of Chinese postal receipts, "but it had to be resisted in principle, as invasion of China's domestic sphere." Mr HIPPISLEY says the French Government has already admitted the propriety of China's attitude in the matter; and he adds that negotiations are now being conducted with the Postmaster-General at Hongkong which, it is confidently anticipated, will result in a similar recognition of China's rights. We shall doubtless hear something
an
more about all this when the Estimates come
before the Legislative Council for considera- tion sometime next month. For the present year a reduction of about $100,000 in the Post Office revenue was expected, and these additional handicaps, we presume, will tend still further to diminish the revenue.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.