The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-08-09
LETTER SHOPS"
HOWTHE MALLS TRANSPORTED
IN CHINA.
Individuals and Firms Manage tho
Postoffice and Perform Efh-
cient Service-Guarding
Against Robbery.

z China, tells how the mail is car
ried in the "fowery kingdom" China
has not yet established Government
postofices or postal system for the
masses of the people, with all her
adoption of modern ways, but private
enterprise is depended upon to render
communication easy between various
parts of the Empire. This private
transmission of mail is conducted
through what is called 'letter shops.
No stamps are used, but the "chop"
or sign of the keeper of the 'letter
shop" is always placed upon the en-
velope.
In this country when the Govern
ment wishes to send q communication
it incloses it in an envelope marked
"oAicial" or "public-free" and it
goes through the mail as other letters
except that no postage is paid. In
China imperial edicts and other Off
cial Communications are carried from
city to city and province to province
by couriers. Generally they make the
trip afoot, but in case of great haste
they are provided with horses at con-
venient relay stations. Official letters
or dispatches are thus conveyed in
cases of emergency 200 or 25O miles q
day. In districts where transmission
of official communications is frequent
each station master is required to keep
on hand from ten to twenty horses or
donkeys, and the local representative
of the Government is held responsible
for all delays that occur. These official
couriers, who correspond to our star
route mail carriers, are not allowed to
carry private dispatches or. letters,
their operations being restricted to the
transmission of Government communi-
cations.
The public is served by the 'letter
shops" carrier system organized by
private enterprise transmitting the
mail from one station to another.
Consul Gracey says at the treaty ports
the letter shops are used by natives
only, but in the interior, or at places
not reached by the foreign postal ar
rangement, they are employed by
foreigners as well, though chiefly by
missionaries. "These speak well Of
the system for it's security" he says,
"but they do not consider it all that
could be desired in respect to quick
ness of delivery. 1t somewhat re-
sembles our express business as it
transmits parcels of moderate size and
weight. It is said to possess two de-
cided advantages over our western sys-
tem-insrrance against loss and
monthly settlement of accounts. ALI
letters and parcels to be sent may be
registered and insured"
Before letter is mailed or delivered
to the carrier it's contents are dis
played, and the keeper of the letter
shop then seals it and afixes his
"chop," or sign, 80 that its point OF
origin may be determined. Parcels
may be transmitted in the same MAI
ner, the charge for carrying being g
percentage of their declared value.
The shopkeeper gives receipt for the
letter or package, and he thus becomes
responsible for it's safe delivery or its
return to the sender, with seal un-
broken. In some parts of the empire,
the Consul says, about two-thirds OF
the expense of transmission is paid by
the sender, the remainder being col
lected from the receiver. Thus the
shop is secured against entire loss from
transient customers and the sender
has some guarantee that his letter will
be conveyed with dispatch. Native
merchants who are regular customers
keep an open account with the shop
and make their settlements monthly.
In some of the larger cities and
towns the letter shops are numerous,
but in many remote villages there are
none. In Shanghai there are nearly
t~o hundred. Some of the shops en-
ploy solicitors who 60 from house to
house working up trade, competition
in many cities being strong. In the
northern provinces the shopkeepers
initiate the Government and employ a
system of mounted carriers. Horses
or donkeys are used, the relays being
about ten miles apart. Each carrier
or messenger is intrusted with seventy
or eighty pounds of mail matter, and
travels about five miles an hour-much
slower than the Government carriers.
For short distances and in central and
southern China the messenger travels
on foot at rapid gait. When the
messenger arrives at q station he hands
over the mail to fresh carrier. "He
starts at once" says Consul Grscey,
"no matter what may be the hour OF
the day or night, and regardless OF
winds, rain, heat or cold, he continues
the journey until he, too, has com
pleted his service and handed the
parcel over to third messenger, and
thus it reaches its destination.
This "pony express" like that
which was in use across the Western
plains of the United States forty years
ago, is sometimes subject to inter.
ruption by highwaymen, hut the
Chinese have a way of compounding
such villainy and thus protecting their
postal service. The robber bands of
each district collect blackmail from
the shopkeepers, and for regular sums
paid they not only do not modest the
messengers themselves, but they
agree to keep other marauders from
doing SO. Large firms engaged in the
carrying business and in transporting
travellers by carts between given points
are in the habit of contracting with