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GENERAL POST OFFICE, LONDON, B.C.1.
March 24th, 1922,
257
Siri-
With reference to the last two paragraphs of your
letter of the 10th, of December last, I am directed by the
Postmaster General to inform you that the ratification of the decisions of the Washington Conference will probably be awaited before any definite steps are taken towards withdrawing
the British Agencies in China,
The general lines of the procedure which will be
followed can, however, be laid down now,
The Postmaster General approves your sotion in not
authorising fresh appointments, and he has approached the Foreign Office with a view to an agreement with the Chinese
Government that, as you suggest, the Chinese employees taken over should not be required to give the usual written undertaking
to serve in any province in China,
Unless it would be a real convenience for winding
up that the business of the Agencies should be closed down gradually as you suggest, the Postmaster General would prefer
that their activities should continue until close on the
final date,
It is accordingly proposed that Mails, Koney Orders,
etc., should continue to be sent out to the Agencies up to
the end of September at least, Even Parcel kails despatched
up to the end of that month should arrive in ample time for
complete disposal by the end of the year, In the opposite
direction business might be accepted up to the last moment
and the whole of the Chinese staff might be transferred en
Postmaster General,
blog/
Hong Kon
2.