We are prepared to recommend that the salary of the Agent shall be increased by $100 per annum, to be paid from the Imperial revenue, and that of the Assistant by $450 a year to be paid from local revenues.
Acting upon the instructions given in paragraph 12 of Your Excellency's letter, we placed ourselves in communication with the Municipal Councils of Shanghai, with the view of ascertaining whether they would be willing, or might be induced, to hand over to the Post Office, which during the last three years they have maintained for the distribution of local correspondence, so that it might be incorporated with the British Post Office and worked under one management and in one building, instead of two. We found, however, that the Councils considered themselves under an obligation to their subscribers to maintain their separate office. Nevertheless, they expressed their willingness to co-operate with us in such an amalgamation of the two Offices would place them under one staff of officers, and admit of assistance being rendered by the arrival and despatch of mails.
Page 293