:
sir,
CHINA ASSOCIATION.
159,
44726
Cannon Sträef, 3.0.
23rd December, 4850 07
607
The General Committee have delayed replying to your latter
of the 2nd October, regarding the maintenance of a British Post
Office at Tientsin, till they were placed by the Tiantsin Branch
of the Association in possession of more complate information.
It is an indication of the importance which the British
Community attaches to the maintenance of the Agency that it hes
undertaken to bear any potential loss to the extent of $7,500.
during the current year, in order to give time for consideration
and arrangement.
There appears little to add, in other respects, to the ax-
haustive statement of the situation contained in the Memorandum
which I had the honour to submit with my letter of the 27th
Captambar, and a copy of which enclose for convenient reference
It was recognised in that Memorandum that the maintenance
of British Postal Agencies in hina has been entrusted hitherto
to the Hongkong Government. It was in view of the fact that that
Government declined to maintain any longer the agency at Tientsin,
that the Association ventured to express a hope that H.1.Povar-
ment would assume the responsibility.
It was admitted that the Colonial Government (which had al-
ready suffered direct loss by the obligation imposed on it of
adopting Id. instead of a ed. rate) could not be fairly required
to bear the full burdon of loss, due measurably to the same cause,
incurred at Tientsin. And it was contend et in support of these
viaws that the interests not only of the British community at
Tientsin but of important manufacturing towns in Great Britain
The Post Mastor General
St. Martin's-le-Grand, 3.C.