New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-16
THE CHINESE POSTAL SERVICE.
The CornhIu Magazine.

From The CornMu Magazine.
For many centuries public dispatches have been
Board Of War. Post roads. originally excellent but
now disgTGceful, Tdiate from Pesing to all parts "
Of the country stations where supply Of horses
S supposed to be kCpt-much as In si6ena-tor the
ness Of the roads and the generally dspdased con
diuoa Of the ponies they arg hardly big enosSh 70 oe
occasions covered BY this means In theory the great
est speed is some zoo miles day and II Is claimed tnas
rapid means Of communication, he general pubic v
not permitted TO share, any more tlal II may IN
England avail itself Of the services OF queens mes
1t is not to be imagined that vertablc nation Of
this refusal OF their Government 10 convey Lelr eoro-
sDondenee destitute Of postal service They have,
Independent Of the state In every town OF any saze
may be seen ten or dozen shops with me agn I'm
Chu letter Office" postal establishment saspendoa
outside Their business is 20 carry, not Letters only
but small parcels packets Of silver, and the Lac,
usually 10 other towns In the same province but nso
on occasion 10 other provinces. They are IN fact
general carriers perhaps IL would be sirer to say,
did the agents at Harwich Dover, Of the POST
master General at the beginning Of the eshtee1n
to their charge. They have no fixed tarn varying
according TO weight and there appears to e no I nil
carry The charge for letters IS fairly constant oat IA
estimating the cost OF conveyance OF parcels the SO
and shape alone TO be taken into account roun
calculation is then made which the sender Is az Iherty
If he can-to abste In fact, the transmission o.
bargaining as the purchase OF pig. AS there Is no
monopoly each pOstoce tries 10 underoid It's rivals
and competition sometimes vergeS OH the udicrOus.
since the Institution OF female postoiice clerks IN
England how many complaints doubtless quite
groundless) have there not been from wouid-be pur'
chasers of stamps who have been kept waiting at the
counter while the postmistess and her assistant COM
pare notes on last Sundays fashions In China t,s
deplorabhe state Of things Is reversed There eacn
post0iCe has its fonts, who 60 round * very SHORT
intervals to each place of business 10 beg for the pnv
ege Of fo:wartinE their letters The bankers the
best customers and post time draws near post une
Is fixed al the open ports by the departure OF the local
steamer you will tout enter oanK ano lnoernpe
tho clerks with entreaty TO be allowed 10 convey
the letters they have not yet copied lie disn sed
for half an hour, and meanwhile two or three nvais
will appear with the same request me lucky mar II
he who happens in the letters are Sc aleo
Prepayment is optional, no fine being levlec gu u
paid letters. Postage is known euphe1nlsucay 20
. wine allowance and on the cover Of the letrr ~
always noted the amount paid or due. Postage sttnps
have never apparently been thought o. some CAV ~
will dawn upon OF these bengfted nrms nyW vaso
are the benefits OF stamp system ne VIII nlen
hasten to supply Himself with varied ana pHtui
series which he viii dispose OF 20 western ulnpfo-
manacs at highly satisfactory profit Meanwhile ms
native customers as rule do not prepay Their pOSse,
partly because Cinaman hates TO pay out mohssy
when he can possibly avoid 1t. and partly because ne
safely and speedily 10 its destination the carriers
have an interest in It's prompt delivery. TIE quesuon
Is not as was the case IN England fifty or sixsy years
ago in any way a sentimental one no Cidnamsn y 30
nm reasonable feel insuted at having nothing 70
nav on his letters. Custom only requires two e,SSs
~ correspondence 10 te prepaid in fuetters 10 lno-
GENT relatives and begging epistles.