Oct. 30.
THE official explanation of the increased rates of the Chinese Post Office which we published on Saturday is evidently intended to warn the authors of protests received or yet to come, that they are wasting time, paper and stamps. An unconfirmed report quoted elsewhere from a Chinese paper says that the application of the new tariff is to be put off till next year. But the tone of the official statement sounds too final for much hope of even that amount of mitigation. The fact, however, that the C.P.O. are going to increase their rates and their reasons for doing so are two very different things. The public may be forced to submit, but it is.still quite unconvinced. The statement tells us, what everybody knew, that, as a member of the Universal Postal Union Conference at Madrid, China is technically within her rights in "putting up her rates. It omits, however, to recall that that conference sat in 1920 and that, in the present year of grace, there is already a downward tendency in the prices in other lands: if there is not in China, it is precisely due to shortsighted policy in high quarters like that of the C.P.O. The allusion to gold payments and unfavourable exchange' is insincere, because the comparisons all through the statement are obviously with pre-war figures. Now, before the war 2s. 6d. was considered pretty good value for the tael. To-day it is in the regions of 3s. 3d. or 3s. 4d., which is decidedly favourable to China. The enumeration of items under which greater expense is incurred, paper, salaries, rent, etc., would be more telling if figures were given. The test question is: Is the C.P.O. run at a loss? Does it end up the year with a deficit?
Now, we are entitled to look to the report of the C.P.O. for 1921 for guidance in this matter, because, according to the postal authorities, the increased tariff has been in contemplation for more
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.