73
Convention regulating transmission of Correspondence and newspapers to and from the United States and China by means of Steamers.
Hong Kong, ... of the Pacific mail
It is with much regret, however, that he has felt unable to accede to your suggestion to lower the rate of 8 Cents per ounce at present charged by this Post Office on letters forwarded by those Steamers, not merely on the ground of the obvious inconvenience resulting from constituting a different rate of Postage, and thereby complicating the general account, an inconvenience which in the general public interests he should have been anxious to put up with, but also on the ground that this Post Office charge is already liable to a loss of four cents on all such letters received from the Post Offices in China and Japan.
His Excellency trusts that you will agree with him under these circumstances that a diminution of the existing rate of 8 Cents could not reasonably be expected.