R 9
A sort of interregnum took place and in 1866 the London Post Office proposed to hand over complete control of the Agencies to Hongkong. In the same year Mr. E. P. Rae was sent out by the London Post Office as a special surveyor and a joint inspection of all recognised Agencies was made by Mr. Rae and by Mr. Mitchell the Colonial Postmaster General.
These two officials drew up a report, which inter alia, contained the following recommendations:-
"That no other agencies should be opened in China or Japan, because the only advantage afforded to the British Community would be the small one of being able to buy postage stamps. Whilst on the other hand the expenses of the Agency would doubtless exceed the receipts, as, no compulsion to send letters by mail being possible, the bulk of letters would be sent by preference, for various reasons, through the steamer offices.
That, as the receipts from the agencies showed a constant diminution a fixed annual sum of £1,370 should be paid by the General Post Office to the Hongkong Office, and not a share of the postage.
The report was approved and the control of the agencies passed to the Colonial Government on the 1st January, 1868.
The total annual contribution made by the Imperial Government was £1,370 which was allocated as follows :-
Salary of Agent at Canton £ 15 Swatow £ 19 Amoy £ 71 Foochow £ 60 £ 40 Ningpo £ 100 £ 100 Nagasaki £ 60 £ 60 Yokohama £ 500 £ 250 Shanghai ... Postmaster General, Hongkong, for supervision £ 100 Postmaster General, Hongkong, for travelling expenses for inspection £ 100 £ 1,370It would therefore seem from this report which was approved by both the Colonial Government and the Imperial Posts that the question of the Postal Agencies in China had been settled for all time.
But this was far from being the case. In 1872 Hankow which had been opened to trade in 1858 by the Treaty of Tientsin was created a postal agency. No one in particular appears to have been consulted when this took place though it was at obvious variance
R 9
A sort of interregnum took place and in 1866 the London Post Office proposed to hand over complete control of the Agencies to Hongkong. In the same year Mr. E. P. Rae was sent out by the London Post Office as a special surveyor and a joint inspection of all recognised Agencies was made by Mr. Rae and by Mr. Mitchell the Colonial Postmaster General.
These two officials drew up a report, which inter alia, contained the following recommendations:-
"That no other agencies should be opened in China or Japan, because the only advantage afforded to the British Community would be the small one of being able to buy postage stamps. Whilst on the other hand the expenses of the Agency would doubtless exceed the receipts, as, no compulsion to send letters by mail being possible, the bulk of letters would be sent by preference, for various reasons, through the steamer offices.
That, as the receipts from the agencies showed a constant diminution a fixed annual sum of £1,370 should be paid by the General Post Office to the Hongkong Office, and not a share of the postage.
The report was approved and the control of the agencies passed to the Colonial Government on the 1st January, 1868.
The total annual contribution made by the Imperial Government was £1,370 which was allocated as follows :---
Salary of Agent at Canton
15
}}
Swatow
Amoy
Foochow
"}
*
**
Ningpo Nagasaki Yokohama
19
71
Shanghai
...£ 60 ......£ 40
...£100
£100
.£ 60
...£ 60
£500
£250
Postmaster General, Hongkong, for supervision....£100 Postmaster General, Hongkong, for travelling
expenses for inspection
.£100
£1,370
It would therefore seem from this report which was approved by both the Colonial Government and the Imperial Posts that the question of the Postal Agencies in China had been settled for all time.
But this was far from being the case. In 1872 Hankow which had been opened to trade in 1858 by the Treaty of Tientsin was created a postal agency. No one in particular appears to have been consulted when this took place though it was at obvious variance
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.