It is abundantly clear that some more or less organized system for depriving letters of their stamps is fat work on the mails, delivered in Shanghai. The thieving becomes specially marked as soon as there some reason for desiring to bring the current stamps of a particular country fo market, The assumption that this Meg at the door of the Post Ome is not fully justified. As has been pointed out, this unconventional enagement Ju the philatelic industry
employees, but despite the revelation Bas atircted, the, favour of of let of the existence of a. lynx-eyed Pelmanist among the postmen of Shanghai, st seems that some Indulgence of this stamp-collecting fad finds expression in the Post Office itself, No-one would pretend that this ig more than a minor annoyance but on principle the recipient of a letter is entitled to be assured that it suffers no deliberate defacement and if-an effort were made the postal authorities could surely convince, the public that their employees at least do not so far forget themselves as to take what belongs to the department's clients,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.