[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[43519]
No. 1.
81
[December 29. C. C.
SECTION 7
2753
20 J 07
(No. 465.) Sir,
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey~(Received December 29.)
Peking, November 13, 1906. WITH reference to my telegram No. 211 of the 10th November, I have the honour to transmit herewith for your information two Reports on the working of the Chinese Post Office for the years 1901 and 1905. The Report for 1904 contains a full description of the origin and growth of the modern postal system, which has been administered by Sir Robert Hart under the authority of an Imperial Decree of the 20th March, 1896; and that for 1905 will enable you to judge of the present extent and importance of this remarkable organization, in which a large number of Englishmen are employed.
In reply to the question put in your telegram No. 190 of the 8th November, I had the honour to state, in my telegram above-mentioned, that I did not think that if the control of the postal service were transferred to the new Board of Communications, there were grounds for objection under the loan Agreements. The first of these was signed on the 23rd March, 1896, only three days after the issue of the Post Office Decree, the contents of which were not known at the date of signature. Moreover, the provision in the loan Agreements relating to the Imperial Maritime Customs was introduced for the obvious purpose of securing an efficient administration of the revenues which were pledged, and it must be remembered that neither in 1896 nor in 1898 was there any income from the Post Office which could by implication be included in the Customs collection. The Report for 1905 shows that it was only in that year that the Post Office commenced to pay its way, and in any event it must be some time before it can be looked to for revenue.
With regard to the last paragraph of my telegram No. 211, I would invite attention to Sir Claude MacDonald's despatch No. 70 of the 15th April, 1898; to Lord Salisbury, and to Mr. Townley's Confidential despatch No. 57 of the 11th February, 1903.
When the postal service was inaugurated under the 1896 Decree, an Englishman, Mr. Kopsch, was placed in charge of it by Sir Robert Hart. Mr. Kopsch was succeeded by a Belgian, M. van Aalst; and when the latter was replaced some four years ago by the present Postal Secretary, M. Piry, a Frenchman, I am told that the then French Minister, M. Beau, called on Sir Robert Hart, and thanked him formally for fulfilling the engagement, which is recorded in the correspondence published in "Rockhill's Treaties," pp. 250 and 251. Sir Robert mentioned to me lately that about two years ago. M. Dubail, who succeeded M. Beau as French Minister, endeavoured to extract an assurance from him that the Postal Secretaryship would always be filled by a Frenchman. This assurance was not given, and Sir Robert states that in 1904, during the temporary absence of M. Piry on leave, the duties of the Postal Secretary were confided to an Englishman. The above two incidents serve to indicate the view which the French Government wish to take of the undertaking given to M. Dubail in 1898.
At present, Sir Robert Hart assures me that he has no reason to believe that the creation of the new Board of Communications transfers the management of the Post Office, though he admits that he has always foreseen the eventual separation of that service from its existing connection with the Imperial Maritime Customs.
I have, &c. (Signed) J. N. JORDAN.
* Not printed.
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