CO129-315 - Public Offices & Others - 1902 — Page 149

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EPS PEC CO

open under a 24d. postage. In any case the Postmaster General

suggests that it would be well to instruct Mr. Johnston, the

newly appointed Postmaster General of Hong Kong, to reopen the

suspended negotiations for a Convention between Hong Kong and the

Chinese Post Office.

MO

46x76

It was suggested (Colonial Office letter of 17 November

1902, § 4) that Mr. Johnston might report on the comparative

merits of Chefoo and Wei-hai-Wei as a distributing port for

correspondence conveyed by the Trans-Siberian Railway. The

Russian Post Office, however, has intimated that the

dorrespondence will be carried by its service as far as Chefoo

only; and, in all the circumstances, the Postmaster General

thought that Chefoo must be the distributing centre. To arrange

to take delivery of the mails at Port Arthur would be very

No. 556.

sir,

GENERAL POST OFFICE.

HONG KONG.

23rd October 1902.

I have the honour to acquaint you that I have received the

necessary authority from my Government for the Establishment at

Chefoo on and from the 1st January 1903 of a British Postal

Agency to work under this Administration.

the transaction of all postal business.

It will be open for

You doubtless will be so good as to communicate this fact

to the International Bureau at Berne.

I am, &c.

(Sd.) E.Cornewall Lewis,

Actg. Postmaster General,

costly.

I am,

Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

H. Buxton Forman

Secretary,

General Post Office,

London.