i
B
In any further communion-
tion on this subject, please quote
No. 25712.
and address-
The Under-Secretary of Stato,
Foreign Office,
London.
29430
# 12 AUG 08.
FOREIGN OFFICE
August 11th, 1908.
260
Sir:-
I have laid before Secretary Sir Edward Grey
Gerr
your letter 21527/1908 of the 23rd ultimo, enclosing
a copy of a despatch from the Governor of Hongkong
complaining of the irregular manner in which the For-
eign Office confidential print respecting China
reaches him.
In reply, I am to inform you that the print of
this Department is divided into three categories:
$1
"A",
and "Ordinary". "A" is for urgent papers
The time
and "B" has priority over ordinary matter.
in which ordinary print is delivered depends there-
fore upon the amount of "A" and "B" print, but it
usually takes a week or ten days. As you are aware,
however, the printing staff of this Department is not
large, and ordinary print has occasionally to give
way to other and more pressing work of the Office.
The Under Secretary of State,
Colonial Office.
In