OOP Y. Miscellaneous.' No. 88.
Sir,
249
C. 0.
60
1902.
Rac2 His Majesty's Consulate
Sub-Enclosure to Enclosure No. 2 in Despatch No. 3 of the
20th August,
Chefoo, 18th June, 1902
43 18
I
I have the honour to address you in regard to the establishment of a British Post Office at this port, a question which, you will remember, formed the subject of a correspondence last year between your Office and His Majesty's Minister at Peking to whom it was referred by my predecessor. The reply which was given to the Petition of the residents here for equal postal facilities to those enjoyed by other ports in China where British Postal Agencies exist, was in effect that unless the Community were prepared to guarantee the Hongkong Office against loss, the question was impracticable. It was never explained what form this guarantee should take, nor what was actually meant thereby, and unfortunately the matter was then allowed to drop.
In view, however, of the fact that there would seem to be every disposition on the part of the Community here to co-operate with your Office in coming to some arrangement, and also of the fact that the postal business locally must be considerable, and therefore remunerative, I venture to raise the question again.
There is much dissatisfaction at the way the postal arrangements are conducted by the Imperial Chinese Post Office, which is run by the Imperial Maritime Customs, and I have received several communications recently from various Members of the Community urgently requesting me to urge the establishment of a British Agency here and promising support to any arrangement come to. The lowering of the rates to England makes it the more desirable that we should have our own Office, as without it we are precluded from taking advantage of the new tariff on letters, and the plan which I have the honour to propose will, I trust, meet with the approval of the Colonial Government.
At other ports, the Postal Agency, as a rule, is entrusted to the Consular Assistant, whoever he may be, but the absence of an Assistant at Chefoo renders this impossible here, while the lack of accommodation in the Consular Offices makes it also impossible for the business of the Agency to be carried on. E. Cornewall Lewis, Esq.,
Postmaster-General, Hongkong.
OOP Y. Miscellaneous.' No. 88.
Sir,
249
C. 0.
60
1902.
Rac2 His Majestyle Consulater
Sub-Enclosure to Enclosure No. 2 in Despatch No.3%of the
20th. August,
Chefoo, 18th, June, 1902
43 18
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I have the honour to address you in regard to the establishment of a British Post Office at this port, a question which, you will remember, formed the subject of a cor- respondence last year between your Office and His Majesty's Minister at Peking to whom it was referred by my predecessor. The reply which was given to the Petition of the residents here for equal postal facilities to those enjoyed by other ports in China where British Postal Agencies exist, was in effect that unless the Community were prepared to guarantee the Hongkong Office against loss, the question was impracticable. It was never explained what form this guarantee should take, nor what was actually meant thereby, and unfortunately the matter was then allowed to drop.
In view however of the fact that there would seem to be every disposition on the part of the Community here to co-operate with your Office in coming to some arrangement, and also of the fact that the postal business locally must be considerable, and therefore remunerative I venture to raise the question again.
There is much dissatisfaction at the way the postal arrangements are conducted by the Imperial Chinese Post Office which is run by the Imperial Maritime Customs, and have received several communications recently from various Members of the Community urgently requesting me to urge the establishment of a British Agency here and promising support to any arrangement come to. The lowering of the rates to England makes it the more desirable that we should have our own Office, as without it we are precluded from taking advantage of the new tariff on letters, and the plan which I have the honour to pro- pose will I trust meet with the approval of the Colonial Govern- ment.
At other ports the Postal Agency, as a rule, is entrusted to the Consular Assistant whoever he may be, but the absence of an Assistant at Chefoo renders this impossible here, while the lack of accommodation in the Consular Offices makes it also impossible for the business of the Agency to be E.. Cornewall Lewis, Esq.,'
carried
Postmaster-General, Hongkong.
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