674
? Hayhon,
with British stamps from China should continue at 10 cents which would prevent the anomaly referred to by the Postmaster General.
I have the honour to be
Sir, Your Most Obedient Humble Servant,
W Back
Major General, Administering the Go-
vernment.
COPY.
Mo any or
lette
Unelter
Sie
76504
ENCLOSURE.
Report by the Postmaster General.
Hon. Acting Col. Secretary.
28
&
UEC SE
The cost of transit of each letter to England
by the English Mail just now is nearly 10 cents. If the rate
were reduced to 4 cents (equivalent to 1 d.) the total loss to
the Colony in postage as estimated by the London Office would
J
be $21,000. But it must be understood that the London figures
are based on old statistics and that our correspondence here
has increased more than 25% over last year so that the total
loss to Revenue would approach $30,000.
2. Again a letter sent from any British Post
Office in China or from the Imperial Chinese Post Office with
Hong-Kong stamps thereon would bear only a 4 cent stamp where-
as the Colony would have to pay almost 10 cents for its tran-
sit thus practically giving a bounty to all non Colonial re-
sidents in the Chinese Empire, who correspond with England.
3. A distinction would have to be made against
letters arriving from China and if 1 d. letters from the Agen-
cies, which are virtually Imperial Post Offices, be allowed, the
Imperial Government should at the very least make up to this
Government the loss they incur by transmitting the correspon-
dence of residents in a foreign country.
4.
!!