N: 359
mo
208
My Lord,
253
2 JAN 20
GOVERNMENT HOUSE,
HONGKONG. 12th November, 1919.
With reference to Your Lordship's Despatch
No. 393 of the 11th August, 1919, on the subject of the pro- -posed admission of members of the Staff of the British Postal Agencies in China as contributors to the Hongkong Widows' and Orphans' Pensions Fund, I have the honour to point out that when these Agencies were taken over by the Imperial Post Office the choice of contiming or discontinuing their sub- -scriptions to the Fund was offered to the Staff then employed. Only four clerks in the Agencies elected to continue to be subscribers so that it does not appear probable that the clerks now on the Staff would desire to join the proposed new scheme. Moreover there is the possibility of an early dis- -continuance of these Agencies as it is known that the Chinese Government intend to press for the withdrawal of foreign Postal Agencies at the earliest possible opportunity.
2.
In view of these facts, it appears to be scarcely worth while to adopt a scheme which would involve
an
h
course
alteration of the local Ordinance, which I am most reluctant to take, as the introduction of any amending Ordinance would produce a general discus- -sion of the whole system of Widows' and Orphans' Pensions which has always proved a fruitful source of friction
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
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VISCOUNT MILNER, G.C.B.,
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&c...
and