CO129-300 - Administrator Major Gen Gascoigne Governor Sir Blake - 1900 [7-9] — Page 333

No. 366.

)

C.O.

330

30015

Reco

Bed 14 SEP 00

Government House.

Hong-Kong, 10 August, 1900.

You

13326 fritts

23921 Braits

sir,

With reference to your despatch No.123 of the

10th.May last, enclosing a copy of Lord Morley's award upon the

question of the apportionment of the cost of the Eastern Mall

service, I have the honour to inform you that I have received

from Singapore a copy of the correspondence upon the subject

which has passed between the Officer Administering the Govern-

ment of the Straits Settlements and yourself. I desire to asSO-

ciate myself with Sir James Swettenham's criticisms on Lord

Morley's award, forwarded to you in his despatch No.228 of the

27th. June, 1900.

争

2. As regards paragraph 3 of the latter des-

patch however, I would point out that Shanghai despatches the

bulk of her correspondence through her numerous Foreign Post

Offices, whereas the greater amount of her received correspond-

ence is dealt with by the Hong-Kong Office. Any extra contri-

bution by this Colony to the general cost of Mall service on

behalf of Shanghai or the China Ports would therefore be an obvious injustice The enclosed table will show the great dif-

ference between the amount of correspondence received and des- patched by the China Ports in a single year.

closure 1.

The Right Honourable

JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN, M.P.

&C.,

3.

&C.,