CO129-386 - Public Offices & Others - 1911 — Page 251

Address reply to--"The Secretary, General Post Office,"

quoting Registered No. 86903/11

715

249

!

GENERAL POST OFFICE, LONDON,

April 1911.

Sir,

With reference to your letter of the 22nd ultimo, No. 6845/1911, concerning the question of supplying distinctive stamps for sale at the British Post Office Agencies in China, I am directed by the Postmaster General to acquaint you, for the information of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, that it was not intended to obtain the stamps through the Administration of Hong Kong but to have them printed in London to the order of this office. Settlement would be made at contract rates with the printers, Messrs. De La Rue and Company, either directly or through the Crown Agents. The payments would not pass through the Hong Kong accounts; and no question of the assessment of the military contribution would arise. Office would, if necessary, make a separate payment, either to the Crown Agents or to the Colonial Administration, for the use of the plates which are employed for the printing of Hong Kong stamps.

This

The reason for which it is desirable to obtain and to

overprint stamps similar to those of Hong Kong have already been explained; but the Postmaster General thought it right to ascertain whether the Secretary of State saw any objection

in principle to the sale at the Agencies of this Office in

Under Secretary of State,

COLONIAL OFFICE.

China