Land Board
Minute:
It is stated that, including interceptions, the outlay for building an Office at Goterhama, the expense to the Colony of maintaining that Postal Agency, exceeds £1000 per annum, and he asks that an additional £500 per annum may be allowed by the Imperial Government to the Colonial Government, on account of the cost of that Agency.
The Postmaster General very much regrets to learn that the revenue derived from the Postal communication with Yokohama has so greatly fallen off, but after full consideration of the statements made in Sir Richard MacDonnell's despatch and its enclosure, he does not think that sufficient grounds have been shewn for increasing the annual contribution from Imperial funds towards the cost of the Postal Agencies in China and Japan.
In the joint report of Messrs. Rea and Mitchell of the 19th July 1867, referred to in the enclosure to the Governor's Despatch, it was estimated that the Colony would have to contribute £300 a year towards the cost of the Yokohama Agency, and although that amount may be somewhat exceeded, it is evident that the Hong Kong Office still derives from the correspondence considerably more than it expends; for besides the fixed annual sum of £500 contributed towards the expense of maintaining the Yokohama Agency...