CO129-315 - Public Offices & Others - 1902 — Page 159

C

Sir.

the United States Government to the establishment of a regular parcel service between the two Post Offices, it would certainly be more satisfactory than one arranged by any other method. At the same time the Postmaster General thinks it right to explain that the prolonged negotiations which he has himself carried on with the United States Post Office, both directly and through the ordinary diplomatic channels, ended in the refusal of that Office to conclude the desired Agreement; and he was thus reduced to the course of arranging for the conveyance and delivery of British postal parcels in the United States by the agency of the American Express Company. It will thus be seen that, although Sir H. Blake speaks of the arrangement as one between the United Kingdon and the United States of America, the Government of the States has really no share in it.

If the Secretary of State should decide to aim at a private arrangement of this kind, he might possibly prefer that it should be an extension of the Postmaster General's arrangenent with the American Express Company, and, in that case, I am to suggest that it would be advantageous to wait for some time before taking any definite step towards its completion. The Agreement with the American Express Company is of a somewhat novel character; and, as it has only been in operation since the 1st of September last, the time has hardly come for considering

such an extension of it as would be involved in an arrangement

for the importation of parcels into the United States by a port

on the Pacific Coast.

I all,

Sir,

..

180

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alins

6.31/2/2

Your obedient Servant,

9933.

HONGKONG

02-2

2

Jan 1903.

158

I have the honour to ack the receipt of

your despatches No 400 of the 4th and 27

of the 12th of November last and to transmit

for

Your consideration a Coov of A latter from

the G.P.0. on the subject of a direct Par els

Service between Hongkong and the E.S.A.

? I should be lad if you would inform mo

which of the two courses SU aatad in this let—

ter

you would prefer to adout.

I hava