Address reply to--"The Secretary, General Post Office," quoting Registered No.451618.
Copy
GENERAL POST OFFICE, LONDON,
C.0.
40266
November 1902.
Part 3 NOV 03
111
Sir,
I am directed by the Postmaster General to send to you herewith, for the information of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, a copy of a letter, with enclosures, addressed to this Department by the Acting Postmaster General of Hong Kong relative to the despatch of French Mails from Hong Kong for the French Post Office at Canton.
It will be seen that the French Postal Authorities in the Far East would prefer that these mails, instead of being sent
by the steamer,
as at present which the Hong Kong Post Office uses for its
own mails to the British or the Imperial Chinese Post Office at Canton, should be forwarded directly to the French Post Office at Canton by the French Steamer plying between Hong Kong and that port; but that the Acting Postmaster General of Hong Kong has declined to modify the existing practice of his
office,because the use of the French Steamer seems to him
unnecessary and inconvenient.
The Postmaster General cannot help thinking that, apart,
from the question of granting or withholding the slight
concession asked for if concession it be the terms in which
the Acting Postmaster General of Hong Kong has replied to &
courteous request are somewhat unfortunate. But it is by no
means clear to the Postmaster General that at any rate so far
as the French Mails which the Hong Kong Post Office receive for
transmission to the French Post Office at Canton are concerned
there would be any concession in the matter, or that the
French Authorities are at all unreasonable in appealing to Article 1 of the Detailed Regulations of the Postal Union. der Secretary of State,
According
COLONIAL OFFICE.