Enclosure No. 2 to Despatch No. 57 of the 12th February, 1902.
Honourable Col. Secy.,
There will be no difficulty in establishing a sub Post Office at Amoy at such convenient site as H. M. Consul might be good enough to approve of. The clerk in the present Post Office Mr. Simoes should be placed in charge under the Postal Agent. Regarding the suggested reduction in the rate of postage there is nothing to prevent Hongkong fixing its rate for letters at 4 cents per 1/2 oz. and I have no reason to believe that H. E.'s Postmaster General will offer any objection to the same rate being extended for those to the United Kingdom and the British Colonies and Possessions. Any loss of Revenue would fall upon Hongkong, as well as any increase of Transit Charges should the weight of correspondence despatched increase consequent on the reduction. As far as can be estimated the loss of Revenue would be about $3,500.
I await instructions before instructing the Postal Agent at Amoy to establish another Office as also communicating with the Postmaster-General, London.
I would invite attention to Conf.Sec. 52/1901 which deals with the whole question and it may perhaps be as well to have the postage from all British Postal Agencies settled at the same time.
(Sd.) F. H. May.
31.1.03.
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