There is " very general feeling of faction with the Postal Service in thi colony which is of long standing, and recently "that" " Brownie," in his weak) tone, has been going with " alr stick for the Acting Postmaster-General, Few persons could be found, I imagine, to deny that the patience of the community has been sorely taxed by this department. The local delivery is not only n solemn farce; it la a deliberate injury to the com-Letters posted ne day for the take two or three days to reach their destination, and I have heard of one or two cases in which invitations thus sent have failed to turn up until after the event. Worse than this some dividend warrants for a considerable amount posted to a resident never reached him at all and he was obliged, after waiting for a week and Jo got duplicates issued. nese coolies employed as letter carriers wre hopelessly incompetent for the work, They are supremely carole inconceivably lazy, besides being quite unable to realise the value of time, it main object is to 3 save themselves trouble, "ud if a letter posted for the Peak or an out!
t, the coolie charged to deliver it} ice of the person T know one gentleman who despatched a letter to his home at the Peak to give notice of some movement of his and ten minutes Inter it was brought into his office. He naturally refused to but had he been absent at the VERY ANNOYING, but I do not think the Postmaster-General is altogether responsible for it: The Govern-I not make provision for a reform dininistration, Even in the late they grudged any vote for the Post Office, and he played into their hands by doing too much himself. As" matter of fact, the building, the staff, and the delivery service are all wholly inadequate for the purpose, They sufficed for the times in which they were originated, but since then the increased number and bulk of the nmils, the growth of local correspundence, and the institution of the parcel post have served to quadruple the work without any appreciable increase in the staff. At the present time there is but one Ew the Acting-Postmaster, with a limited staff of Portuguese and Eurasians. Several of these are: hardworking and reliable assistants, but they are not paid for responity and naturally, and by temperament, shirk it, What is needed is " thorough reorganisation of the staff and the provision of " larger and more suitable building for the work. There should be, hesi the Postmaster nnd Assistant-Poatmaster, two other Europravs in addition to the existing staff. There ought to be ove European at the stamp window with, the shroff who sells the stamps to give in tion and keep a check on the shroff, between hom and purchasers there are not infrequent disputes, Another should superintend the registration on mail mornings, Finally, a uew delivery service should be organised, and if possible Indian or Portuguese carriers should employed. As [have said, the Cantonese will never make efficient letter carriers, and they are not only Inzy but combine the Postmaster whenever any attempt is made to control them. Every employer of coolies in the Colony will endorse this opinion, Bir, Northcote meantime is not getting fair play. Hie is only an acting official, and while performing double Cuty in the absence of his chief he naturally does not like to institute changes, Moreover, he has no deputy to whom he can look' to carry through any innovations. Why, I should like to know, did not the Government. give him a cadet to act us deputy during the absence of Mr. Travers?
Hongkong, 30th November.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.