4
356
a circular to the five Consulates at which a Consu-
lar Officer acted as Post Office Agent, informing
them of the transfer of the Agencies to the control
of the Governor of Hong Kong, and pointing out that
a Consular Officer could only be allowed to retain
a Post Office Agency so long as the orders from the
Governor of Hong Kong and the services required of
such Agent did not in any way interfere with the
efficient discharge of his own proper duties.
The question of the withdrawal of the Hong Kong
Agencies has been considered from time to time in
connection with the proposed establishment of a Chi-
nese National Post Office.
In 1887 the matter was
not considered ripe for a decision, and when the
Governor of Hong Kong, on the 22nd Jamary 1889,
asked for information as to whether there was any
prospect of an arrangement being arrived at, by
which the Chinese Government would bake into their
own hands the Postal Agencies at the Treasy Porte,
certain representations having been made which ap-
peared to point to the necessity of increased staff
at one or more of the Ports, in consequence of the
great