Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-11-16
CHINA'S MAIL SYSTEM.
How Letters Are TRANSPORTED in
the Flowery Kingdom.

How Letters Arc Transported in
the Flowery Kingdom.
Individuals and Firms Nanag" the Post
once and Perform Efficient service
Guarding Against Robbrry--A Gov
erment S,si"n to lie Established.
In report just published by the
state department. Samuel Gracey,
United States consul at FOochoo,
China. tells how the mail j. carried in
the 'tiowcry kingdom" China has not
yet established government post offices
or postal system for the masses Of
the people. with all her adoption of
modern ways. but private enterprise is
depended upon to render communica-
ton easy between various parts OF the
empire This private transmission of
mail is conducted through what are
called letter shops" No stamps are
used. but the chop" or sign of the
keeper Of the letter shop" is always
placed upon the envelope.
In this country when the govern
ment wishes to send u communication
il incloscs it i'll an envelope marked
"ofiicial" or 'puhlic-free" and it goes
through the mail As other letters ex-
cept that no postage is paid. In China
imperial edicts and other official COM
munications are carried from city to
city and province to province by couri-
ers. GENERALLY they make the trip
afoot. but in ease of great haste they
are provided with horses at convenient
relay stations. Official letters or dis
patches are thus conveyed in cases of
emergency two hundred or two hum
dred and fifty miles a day. In districts
where transmission of official COM
munications 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 couri-
ers, who correspond to our star route
mail carriers. are not allowed to carry
private dispatches or letters. their OPP
erations being restricted to the trans
mission of government communicA-
tons.
The public is served by the letter
Shops" carrier system organized by
private enterprise transmitting the
mail from one station to another. Con-
sui 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 arrange
ment, they are employed by foreign
ers as well, though chiefly by mission
aries. "These speak well of the sys-
tenn for its security" he says, but
they do not consider it all that could
be desired in respect to quickness OF
delivery. 1t somewhat resembles our
express business, as it transmits par
GELS of moderate size and weight. 1t 10
said to possess two decided advantages
over our western system-insurance
against loss and monthly settlement of
accounts. All the letters and parcels
to be sent may be registered and in
sured."
Before letter is mailed or delivered
to the carrier its contents are displayed,
and the keeper of the letter shop then
signs his ''chop," or sign, SO that its
point of origin may be determined.
Parcels may be transmitted in the same
manner, the charge for carrying being
percentage of their declared value.
The shopkeeper gives n receipt for the
letter or package, and he thus becomes
responsible for it's safe delivery or its
return to the sender, with seal I'M
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
collected 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
two hundred. Some of the shops en-
ploy solicitors who go from house to
house working up trade, competition
in many cities being strong. In the
northern provinces the shopkeepers
initiate the government and employ q
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 mes
senger arrives at a station he hands
ever the mail to a fresh carrier. He
starts at once" says Consul Gracey,
mo matter what may be the hour OF
the day or night, and regardless OF
winds, rain, heat or cold, he cOntinuea
the journey until he, too, has complet.
ed his service and handed the parcel
over to third messenger, and thus il
reaches its destination"
This pony express" like that which
was in use across the western plains OF
the United States forty years ago, il
sometimes subject to interruption by
highwaymen, but the Chinese have q
way of compromising such villainy and
thus protecting their postal service
The robber bands Of each district col
lect blackmail from the shopkeepers
and for regular sums paid they no,
only do not modest the messenger
themselves, but they agree to keer
other marauders from doing so. Large
firms engaged in the carrying business
and in transporting travellers by cart,
between given points are in the habi,
OF contracting with the brigands fol
the safe passage of their goods and
customers. THUS" comments the con
sui, 1.-THE evil Of mail or express rob
berry, common enough in more civilized
countries, is recognized as probable
and duly provided for. Although, o.
course, not legal, this practice is quit.
common and is not far removed from
the custom of some other nations IL
licensing social evil that cannot be On
tirely suppressed"
A Well Of Frozen Air.
A,rar Dayton. Orc, there is a we'll To-
| eally known as the well of frozen
air." In drilling it stratum of frozen
nv~w