Act
1
COPY.
Enclosure 1.
Memorandum of Instructions concerning
negotiations with Hongkong.
258 C. 5
22653
IRE
REGE 17 MAY 15
:
→
Chinese Postal Agency at Hongkong
China now being a member of the Postal Union must organise her exchange services with other Union countries so that, dating from lat. September next, they will be worked in accordance with the stipulations and general procedure of the Union. She has to draw up a list of the Chinese Exchange Offices for presentation to the other Union Countries, and naturally the number of these office must be restricted as much as possible and their distributing radius clearly defined. There is no difficulty as regards the connectione via Siberia but it is quite another matter for the exchange by maritime routes in southern and eastern directions, which are very complicated. As regards, these, Shanghai, where most international steamers call, is the natural distributing centre for the north of China and the Yangtse valley, but for the provinces south of the Yangtse valley no suitable central place on Chinese territory exists. Unless such is found, a great number of places along the coast of China south of Wingpo (exclusive), such as Santuao, Foochow, Amoy, Swatow, Canton, Pakhoi, Hiungchow and other ports on the coast of Kwangtung, in the delta of the Ea Pearl River and on the West River, would have to be constituted as Exchange Offices, and it can be readily understood that the Union countries would have so much difficulty in comprehending Chinese names and topography that such a system would be far too complicated and would lead to frequent misdirection of mail matter.
Some simple exchange scheme must therefore be found. Practic- -ally all steamer lines from the places above mentioned converge at Hongkong, which is also served by the international mail steamers. Hongkong would therefore be the ideal centre of dis-