A
433
Fras 12471
to you on the 7th April of that year in thinking that the present method of assessing the Contribution on gross
-
08
revenues must be maintained. The proposal of the 26th
August, above referred to, in favour of reopening the whole Contribution question, will of course be carefully considered in communication with the Army Council, but for present purposes Their Lordships cannot (except in the case
of Wei-hai-wei, for reasons hereafter explained) accept the
solution of the Postal Agency question which the Earl of
Crewe puts forward as the most desirable, viz. the assess-
ment of the Contribution on net profits only of the
Agencies.
2. As stated in the letter from this Department of the 6th August 1908 (13155/08) with regard to Tientsin,
Treas 28654/18 My Lords are also unable to accept the view that these
Agencies in a foreign Country should as a matter of course
be permanently maintained at the cost of the British Tax-
payer.
With regard to the interest of the British
communities concerned, which would, but for the existence
of the Agencies, necessarily have to use the Chiness Post
Offices, it is observed that the British Municipal Council
at Tientsin have guaranteed during the past two years either the whole or the half of the loss of working, rather
than let the Agency there be closed. My Lords see no
reason why these communities should not contribute as a
matter of course towards any loss involved in the main-
tenance of the special facilities provided for them,
including