158
(Copy)
No. 76618.
MY LORDS.
(10)
The General Post Office to the Treasury.
GENERAL POST OFFICE,
26th July, 1880.
With reference to your Lordships' further letter of the 2nd instant No. 11569, I have the honour to supply the further information desired by the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in reference to the proposed call upon the Colonies of Ceylon, Straits Settlements and Hongkong for contributions towards the cost of the Packet Service to the East, under the new contract with the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company.
In the first place I have to remark that the amounts which it is now proposed that these Colonies shall contribute cannot properly be compared with the sums given in the Post Office memorandum of the 14th of February, 1876, to which reference is made, because of the alterations that have taken place in the Mail Service under the present contract with the Peninsular and Oriental Company. The chief alterations are:-(1) a reduction in the amount of the subsidy from £430,000 to £360,000 a year; (2) the abolition of the Southampton and other lines of Packets, causing a decrease in the mileage to the extent of 438,516 miles annually, and (3) the despatch of the Australian Mails via Brindisi and Galle every fortnight, instead of once in four weeks only. The cost of the service is divided according to the mileage of each section and the amount of correspondence carried over it. The bulk of the Australian correspondence is not carried under the Imperial Contract beyond Ceylon.
Also it must be borne in mind that the rates of postage on which the estimate of February, 1876, was based, were considerably reduced under the regulations of the Postal Convention of Paris which came into force on 1st April, 1879, and that a further reduction in the rates was made on 1st of February last.
With regard to paragraphs 4 and 5 of the letter from the Colonial Office, I have to state that the figures given in my letter of the 2nd ultimo show one half of the total loss on the Mail Service in respect of each Colony; and that the sum of £13,771 with which it is proposed to charge Hongkong refers to that Colony only, as distinct from China and Japan generally.
I have, &c., (Signed)
HENRY FAWCETT.
The Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury.
The Colonial Office to the General Post Office.
(Copy)
No. 121 213.
SIR,
(11)
The General Post Office to the Colonial Office.
GENERAL POST OFFICE.
LONDON, 14th August, 1880.
I am directed by the Postmaster General to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 10th instant and in reply to acquaint you for the information of the Earl of KIMBERLEY, that there are opportunities for sending ship mails to Ceylon, the Straits Settlements and Hongkong once a week.
The Mails for Ceylon are carried by Vessels belonging to the British India Steam-ship Company and the Ducal line alternately.
The Mails for the Straits Settlements and Hongkong are carried by Vessels of the Glen line, Castle line and the Ocean Steam-ship Company.
In neither case do the Steamers start on a fixed day of the week. The postage for letters so sent to the places mentioned is fourpence per half ounce.
R. G. W. HERBERT, ESQ.,
(Copy)
SIR,
Colonial Office.
I am, &c.,
(Signed)
A. BENTHALL.
The Colonial Office to the Treasury.
DOWNING STREET,
28th August, 1880.
(Copy)
SIR.
DOWNING STREET,
10th August, 1880.
I am directed by the Earl of KIMBERLEY to request you to inform His Lordship what opportunities at present exist for sending ship letters to Ceylon, the Straits Settlements and Hongkong independently of the regular Mail Service, and what is the charge for a ship letter in each case.
The Secretary to
THE GENERAL POST OFFICE,
I am, &c., (Signed)
JOHN BRAMSTON.
I am directed by the Earl of KIMBERLEY to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 30th July relating to the proposal to obtain contributions from the Colonies of Ceylon, Hongkong and the Straits Settlements towards the loss entailed upon the Imperial Treasury by the Postal Service.
2.-Lord KIMBERLEY is of opinion, as has been already stated, that the Governments of the Eastern Colonies may properly be required to make some contribution towards the expenses of the service, but His Lordship does not feel able to call upon them to provide the large sums assigned to them respectively in the calculations made by the Postmaster General, and which are specified in the Treasury letter of the 9th of June last.
3.-It must be remembered that these Colonies had no voice in the settlement of the Contract, and though the service of the Peninsular and Oriental Steamers is valuable to them in many ways, it can hardly be considered as necessary for the maintenance of postal communication.
4.-The enclosed copy of a letter from the General Post Office shows that, in addition to the weekly French Mail by the Messageries Maritimes, there are weekly opportunities of sending ship letters by the Steamers selected for the purpose, and it is believed that there are other private steamers frequently sailing to and from the Eastern Colonies.
158
(Copy)
No. 76618.
MY LORDS.
(10)
The General Post Office to the Treasury.
GENERAL POST OFFICE,
26th July, 1880.
With reference to your Lordships' further letter of the 2nd instant No. 11569, I have the honour to supply the further information desired by the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in reference to the proposed call upon the Colonies of Ceylon, Straits Settlements and Hongkong for contributions towards the cost of the Packet Service to the East. under the new contract with the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company.
In the first place I have to remark that the amounts which it is now proposed that these Colonies shall contribute cannot properly be compared with the sums given in the Post Office memorandum of the 14th of February, 1876, to which reference is made, because of the alterations that have taken place in the Mail Service under the present contract with the Peninsular and Oriental Company. The chief alterations are:-(1) a reduction in the amount of the subsidy from £430,000 to £360,000 a year; (2) the abolition of the Southampton and other lines of Packets, causing a decrease in the mileage to the extent of 438,516 miles annually, and (3) the despatch of the Australian Mails via Brindisi and Galle every fortnight, instead of once in four weeks only. The cost of the service is divided according to the mileage of each section and the amount of correspondence carried over it. The bulk of the Australian correspondence is not carried under the Imperial Contract beyond Ceylon.
Also it must be borne in mind that the rates of postage on which the estimate of February, 1876, was based, were considerably reduced under the regulations of the Postal Convention of Paris which came into force on 1st April, 1879, and that a further reduction in the rates was made on 1st of February last.
With regard to paragraphs 4 and 5 of the letter from the Colonial Office, I have to state that the figures given in my letter of the 2nd ultimo show one half of the total loss on the Mail Service in respect of each Colony; and that the sun of £13,771 with which it is proposed to charge. Hongkong refers to that Colony only, as distinct from China and Japan generally.
I have, &c., (Signed)
HENRY FAWCETT.
The Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury.
The Colonial Office to the General Post Office.
(Copy)
No. 121 213.
SIR,
(11)
The General Post Office to the Colonial Office.
GENERAL POST OFFICE.
LONDON, 14th August, 1880.
I am directed by the Postmaster General to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 10th instant and in reply to acquaint you for the information of the Earl of KIMBERLEY, that there are opportunities for sending ship mails to Ceylon, the Straits Settlements and Hongkong once a week.
The Mails for Ceylon are carried by Vessels belonging to the British India Steam-ship Company and the Ducal line alternately.
The Mails for the Straits Settlements and Hongkong are carried by Vessels of the Glen line, Castle line and the Ocean Steam-ship Company.
În neither case do the Steamers start on a fixed day of the week. The postage for letters so sent to the places mentioned is fourpence per half
ounce.
R. G. W. HERBERT, ESQ.,
(Copy)
SIB,
Colonial Office.
I am, &c.,
(Signed)
A. BENTHALL.
The Colonial Office to the Treasury.
DOWNING STREET,
28th August, 1880.
(Copy)
SIR.
DOWNING STREET,
10th August, 1880.
I am directed by the Earl of KIMBERLEY to request you to inform His Lordship what opportunities at present exist for sending ship letters to Ceylon, the Straits Settlements and Hongkong independently of the regular Mail Service, and what is the charge for a ship letter in each case.
The Secretary to
THE GENERAL POST OFFICE,
I
am, &c., (Signed)
JOHN BRAMSTON.
I am directed by the Earl of KIMBERLEY to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 30th July relating to the proposal to obtain contributions from the Colonies of Ceylon, Hongkong and the Straits Settlements towards the loss entailed upon the Imperial Treasury by the Postal Service.
2.-Lord KIMBERLEY is of opinion, as has been already stated, that the Govern ments of the Eastern Colonies may properly be required to make some contribution towards the expenses of the service, but His Lordship does not feel able to call apon them to provide the large sums assigned to them respectively in the calcula- tions made by the Postmaster General, and which are specified in the Treasury letter of the 9th of June last.
3.-It must be remembered that these Colonies had no voice in the settlement of the Contract, and though the service of the Peninsular and Oriental Steamers is valuable to them in many ways, it can hardly be considered as necessary for the maintenance of postal communication.
4.-The enclosed copy of a letter from the General Post Office shews that, in addition to the weekly French Mail by the Messageries Maritimes, there are weekly opportunities of sending ship letters by the Steamers selected for the purpose, and it is believed that there are other private steamers frequently sailing to and from the Eastern Colonies.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.