CO129-338 - Public Offices & Others - 1906 — Page 277

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[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government,]

AFFAIRS OF CHINA.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[38334]

No. 1.

[November 12.]

SECTION 1.

C

45803

Question asked in the House of Commons, November 12, 1906.

Rer 27 MOX OF

Me. Lonsdale,-To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been called to the creation of a new Board of Communications in China, which is to have control of the postal service, which has been an integral portion of the Imperial Maritime Customs, under Sir Robert Hart; and whether he has represented to the Chinese Government the risk of serious deterioration to the service in transferring the control from the Maritime Customs to an untrained native administration,

Answered by Mr. Runciman (for Sir Edward Grey).

A new Board of Communications has, we understand, been created, with control over railways, telegraphs, and postal administration. No change, we are informed, is thereby introduced in the present system of postal administration, but the Maritime Customs will be under the Board of Communications in respect of postal matters in the same way as it is under the Revenue Council for customs matters, and under the Wai-wu Pu for foreign questions, and the Board of Revenue for appropriations of

revenue.

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