The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1871-10-11

England 3.8 per cent, in Scotland rs per cent,
in Ireland "a per cent. The number Of book
packets and newspapers delivered increased from
I los 66s,OOO in 1869 to l3O,lT9OOO, the money
orders from 9sll ,432. for el9 ,635, in 1869,
to 1929, SIS, for el99g39s7, in 1870, the
/ Office being fraction over sc shilliugs or about
i 50, thus showing the facilities offered by this
! system TO be large!y-almost exclusiyely-taken
advantage of for the transmission Of small sums.
/ In 1870, 24,674 money-orders were also issued in
the United Kingdom for the payment Of f97, 765
abroad, and 1858 wers issued abroad for the
payment of e54s,624 in the United Kingdom.
OF the whole 936,OOO0OO letters and book
packets passing through the post in 1870
unregistered, 27.9l3 were alleged to be lost it
was ascertained that many of these letters had
never been posted or had been delivered. The
number of letters which bore no address at all
was II sos, 2S9 of which contained money to the
amount Of over 1886
The certainty of registered letters reaching
their destination is exemplifed by the fact that
of over 100000 passing through the post, only
trel1e were lost being at the rate of less than
one in one quarter of q million To show the
confidence of the people in this mode-o of for
warding valuable letters. we will say that money
and enclosures amounting to many thousand
pounds in value are consigned to the post with
the utmost condolences an example, on the
9th OF October last letter was registered for
Berlin, containing enclosures to the value of
100000 Sometimes. through the carelessness
Of those who register valuable letters, they are
themselves greatly distressed and the Post Office
Department put TO great trouhla and annoyance.
In one instance. well-known London Company
represented that five slOO0 notes had been lost
out ola registered letter. After anxious inquiry
by the Post Office officials the notes we're found
in the Office of the Company among the rubbish
in the dustheap
The introduction Of the hafpenny card post
has met with such favor that more than one and
a-haf million Of them are sent through the post
each week. In London in 1870 no less than |
.5O620l valentines we're sent through the post
showing, cunelusively, that the observ nee Of |
St Valentines Day is well observed in that
10 perform all the enormous labors of the
Post Office, no less than 2s429 persons are
employed, of whom 20 are stationed abroad
This number WIS an increase of above one
thousand over those employed in the year
previous The increased business of the London
alone rendered the employment Of
$50 more than were necessary in lS69-they
we're mostly boys employed in sorting news
papers.
The gross revenue of the Post Office in 1870
vas 94,929475. the expenditure 93,435, sos.
making net Income OF 9l593,6IO.
In thirty large towns post Office medical
'ffcer is employed. and all servants of the
department. whose pay does not exceed $50 are
ttended gratuitously in illness the sanitary
condition Of the local post Office is also under
be care Of this functiOnary.
The London Times from which we take the
tatistics above in regard to the Offices in various
ocaties. says In many places the post offices
re becoming inadequate to the work, and every
ear sees its new post Offices Years ago many
ersons looked with wonder upon the Post Office ,
] st. Martin s-le-Grand, amazed that the mere ,
objection and despatch of letters could require I
, large building; but it is now long since it t
roved too small. ard its great public hall has
cen turned into an office, and on December 6. I
$40, the foundatiOn-stone was laid of new
3st Office on the opposite side of the street. .
reat is the Post Office now. In London alone b
Dove ten million yards of string were used in Il
$40 for tying up letters for the country and !
'ove 1000 pounds Of sealing-wax for securing
e 100000 bags and four tons Of ink we're used :,
England for imnressing pos'-m rks on letters