The times., 1901-05-12
PoSToFFICEs IN CHINA.
They Are i'm Great Variety Despite
Uniform Inefiiciency.
(From the London Globe.)

ATIpih tht i<'httoh Nipbe-J
One of the most peculiar institutions in
China is the organization of the postal
service. With the Increase of the popu-
Iation and with the gradual opening up
of the coastline of the country it became
Imperative to devise some means of factl-
itating intercourse and the mercantile
firms therefore Joined hands and estab-
lished postoffices since that time this
system has gradually developed certain
form of postal service in the busiest dis
tricts of China. The Chinese Government
adopted a neutral attitude toward the ac-
tivity of these postal firms, but the
latter had to pay large sums of money to
the authorities. The most important pos
tai agencies are carried on by the inhab-
itants of MingHo, and have branches IN
many towns in the Empire. AS rule there
are but few places in which no postoffice
is to be found, and in the more important
centres there are always several Thus,
Shanghai has more than two hundred
while Hongkong has thirty pOStofficeS 1t
often happens that the various postal
agencies compete with one another, ana
their agents then are compelled TO go
from hsuse to house in order to secure
clients. Nevertheless there is some de-
gree of combination between these agen-
cies, and they render mutual services IN
case of need. If a new poStotfice is to be
established in the locality it frequently
happens that the various agencies will
combine their forces and found COM
mon branch.
Horses or mules are generally used as
the means of transport, although IN some
places a poStman conveys the mall Dag
Where rivers are available. the mails are
carried down the stream in small boats
There is no fixed rate of postage dues, but
the larger agencies fix the payment within
certain limits, according to the weight of
a letter and its destination, and regular
clients are allowed q discount The pos
tai fee for simple letter varies from
about three farthings to fiyepence half
penny, according to the distance which it
has to be conveyed There are no postage
stamps or other adhesive labels as signs
of prepaid payment In China proper, and
thus the postage has to be paid either by
the sender or receiver of a letter. 1t can
easily be imagined that under such an
organization the postal service in China
suffers greatly at the hands of the count
less bands of robbers. Although the Chi
nese have not been able to overcome the
depredations frequently inflicted by these
robbers, they have long ago found out a
way to paralyze their actions to a certain
degree. and this consists in buying them
off. Every band of robbers has its own
defined sphere of action, and the postal
agencies of a district come to an agree
ment with the local robbers who are paid
fixed sum of money regularly not to mo-
lest the mails. Sucn an arrangement
guarantees perfect safety for the mails,
as the robbers are themselves thus
pledged to protect them from being mo-
Tested by other evildoers.
In addition to this private system there
also exists in China a Government post
which is occupied in the despatch of
official correspondence and in conveying
officials about the Empire This postal
service is managed by the Ministry of
War, and costs the chinese Government
immense sums of money. Private letters
cannot be forwarded by this Government
post There is also another postal service
in China, for the resident foreigners have
introduced their own postal systems. The
Introduction of this last mentioned sys-
tenn is due to the early settlers in Shang-
hal who thirty years ago opened a post
office for despatching letters to the for
eigners dwelling the borders of that
place. In 1878 the Imperial Customs
POST of China was introduced by Sir
Robert Hart, Inspector General of Gus
toms, for communication between his de-
partment and the treaty ports of China.
Soon afterward foreign Governments also
established postal agencies at their con-
suiates in China for the benefit of their
subjects residing in the Empire. England,
the United States. France, Germany,
Japan. and Russia have set up their own
postoffices in the great centres of activity.
Thus, the postal system of China af-
fords pleasing variety. Every attempt
of recent years to organize the postal
service of China on a European method
has come signally to grief. There is. in
fact, an imperial post, carried out accord
ing to European ideas, but 1t is confined
exclusively to the treaty ports. In the
interior of the country the old system
remains unchanged. and will, no doubt,
continue to exist until the present con-
fused postal service shall have been con-
verted into uniform and properly organ
iZed postal service.