One can afford to be lenient in criticism of the Post Office, for, considered as a whole, its work is wonderful. Any thinking person can form a rough idea of the work necessitated by the collection and delivery of a letter for which the compensation to the Post Office is. tone cent, and those who have had. the privilege actually of following the process from beginning to end only can marvel that there is any profit in the work at all, or any Punctuality or guarantee of safe delivery. "Yet, knowing what marvellous systems have been evolved by postal experts, occasionally one wonders whether some of the lapses of the Post Office in Shanghai could ind should have been prevented. Take the case of a member of. our taft. As secretary of a certain institution, he posted about 200 very important notices. in the pillar box at the far end of Avenue Road at 11 o'clock one Wednesday night. He spent practically the whole of Fri jay answering telephone calls from most of the 200 people, who had not received the letters. He was one of many scores of people to whom formal invitations to the opening of our new offices were sent several days before that event last: February, and who did not receive them, and to this day he has not received his. On January 19, a married lady friend posted to him '2 most important announcement, and it was delivered on Thursday. He has been wondering for months why she has seemed rather distant, and she, of course, has been wondering' why he has omitted to make formal inquiries after the little cherub's health, weight and lung capacity, colour of eyes, teeth (if any), Admittedly the letter was'sent to an address which had been vacated long before, but as several letters simply addressed, "Mr.
Shanghai," in the interim have been safely delivered, it seems curious this other should have been held up. for nearly four months. Our Hong List is quite a good reference book.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.