14243
497
No.116.
Government House.
Brd
Hong-Kong, 23 March, 1901.
sir,
мо Have Wei
nel: 1.
In reply to your despatch No.46 of the 12th.
ultimo enclosing an extract from a letter from the General
Post Office, London, to the Colonial Office,on the subject of
the acceptance of letters from Chinese Post Offices, I have the
honour to inform you that the Postmaster General, London, is
correct in his assumption that the Hong-Kong Post Office ac-
cepts letters from Chinese Post Offices for delivery in Hong-
Kong prepaid at a lower rate than that which is exacted for
letters sent in the reverse direction.
2. This arrangement was the outcome of a cor-
respondence which took place in 1897 between the Postmaster
General, Hong-Kong, and the Secretary of the Chinese Postal Au-
thorities, from which it appears that Hong-Kong agreed to the
arrangement on the basis of the so-called domestic rate of
postage".The matter apparently was not referred to the Postal
Authorities in England or to the Colonial Office .I attach a
copy of the correspondence thereon.
3. The seventh Article of the Postal Convention
now awaiting execution by the Chinese Postal Authorities makes
provision for the Chinese rates to be raised to those of Hong-
The Right Honourable
Kong
JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN,M.P.