Pacific Railway Company for carrying Mail Service.
୯
on the
held to-day,
At a special meeting held to
the matter due
the Committee after giving consideration were unanimously of the opinion that, so far as the interests of this Colony
are concerned, the proposed Canadian route is practically useless and seeing
that
the
QA AM
of £
000 would
thereby be saved,
consider that some reduction should
be
made in the annual sum
contributed by the Colony.
As regard
of £6,000
cargo speed, the Committee, bearing in mind the fact that a certain
foreign steamship Company has contracted for the conveyance of the mails to China at a rate of 12 knots, and considering the lengthened period of the proposed Contract, viz ten years, think that the rate of 11.5 knots named by the P.O. is too slow and
3 strongly urge that the Local Government stipulate for a minimum speed of 12 knots between Suez and Shanghai.
The
583
The Committee further consider that the convenience of the general public would be better served by fixing the hour of departure of the mail from Hongkong, at noon:
Referring to that portion of the despatch under reply and reading,
"The Chamber
of Commerce then expressed its entire "Concurrence in the opinion of the Postmaster
of the "Several that the Mail Service as at
present carried on should be continued," - the Committee would respectfully mention that, at the meeting held in 1884, the
opinion was not unanimous,
the
ment that, it was
but of
||
majority of the Committee. I have now to state, for the information of His Excellency the Officer Administering the
Government that,
finally resolved to submit the following draft for a Telegram, in substitution for that offered by the Postmaster General: ___ "Mail service Hongkong
Government strongly recommend
acceptance Peninsular ten
6 years £275,000