the Ports of Hochow, Canton, Swatow,
and Hankow,
Amoy, Foochow, Ningpo and its Post Office from Shanghai.
2.
I enclose a copy of the reply
forwarded to Mr. Kopsch, pointing out
that these Agencies
are
in reality Agencies
of the Imperial Post Office.
3.
As His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government will probably think it necessary to refer this matter to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, for the consideration of the Imperial Post Office, I permit myself to offer a few words on this proposal.
It seems to me
that one important consideration should be kept in view,
namely,
the convenience and welfare
of the communities at the various Treaty Ports, which perhaps include more
of our fellow countrymen than of any other nation; the convenience and welfare of their correspondents in other
parts of the world; and the
interests
of trade. The experience of more
than 11 years
in dealing with the only
organised Post Offices in the Far East (until the Japanese Offices
were
established) convinces me that it is desirable in these interests to accept the proposal of the Chinese Government, if
possible.
5.
Extra-territorial Post Offices may
be described as a necessary evil,
which should be got rid of as soon as the necessity is removed. The objections to them must
be
so well known to H.M. Government that I need not here recapitulate. In China, they have certainly been free
from one disadvantage attaching to them elsewhere,
they have not hitherto wounded national
susceptibility. But it is quite possible they may eventually do so, before very long.
6.
The Hongkong
Government maintains...
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