and take in cargo here with the Fees imposed under the Ordinance, without incurring expense.
The Chamber believe that this alteration was passed under instructions given by the Colonial Office, who were moved by the Postmaster General to direct the Hong Kong Government to make the change.
It would appear as if the Home Postal Authorities wished to expedite the passage of the Mail Steamers of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company. For on the Ordinance No 6 of 1891 coming into operation, the various mail steamers of that line did not, as a rule, take out Permits to allow their working on arriving in this port on Sundays, but lay over idle till Monday. As the mails were always delivered well within the contract time and could be finally delivered at the Terminus, Shanghai, also within the prescribed time, there was plainly no reason for the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company to incur the expense of the Fees for working cargo upon Sundays.
The Committee of the Chamber desire me to point out that the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, and the Foreign lines of steamers, the Messagerie Maritimes and the Norddeutscher Lloyds steamship Company, which benefit by the exemption of the Order in Council, though subsidised