Sub-Enclosure No. 1 to Enclosure No. 2 in Despatch No. 385 of the
29th. August, 1902.
MEMORANDUM.
Branch British Fost Office in Tientsin.
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(1) SPACE.
The public offices of H.B.M.Consulate-General con- sist of one Assistant's office, a Court Room and a lobby between the two used as a Shipping office. The Assistant's office is of no great size, and, taking into consideration the archive presses and other furniture it already contains, is quite incapa- ble of being in any way used either as a Fost Office for the General Fublic or as a sorting place for mails.
There is no other office space of any kind in the Con- sulate General. It would consequently be an absolute necessity for the HongKong Post Office to build an annexe to the offices with the consent of H.M. Office of Works.
It is of course possible for the HongKong Fost Office to hire premises elsewhere, but in such a case the supervision of the Post Office by a Consular Assistant would be difficult. (2) STAFF. Mr.Summers, the Deputy Postmaster of the Chinese Imperial Post Office in this Fort, a gentleman of considerable experience in postal matters, informs me that it would be useless, to think of employing a Chinese clerk, who would be in any way reliable and painstaking at a less salary than 50 Haikuan Taels per month, equivalent of $75, with prospects of an increase. The reason for this somewhat high rate of salary is the great demand of English speaking and writing clerks and the limited supply. (3) CELIVERY OF LETTERS. To deliver ordinary mails the Chinese Imperial Fost Cffice employs for the foreign Concessions a Staff
of