CO129-392 - Governor Sir May - 1912 [9-10] — Page 373

COPY.

Enclosure 1.

Report on Siberian Mails.

C.O.

30766

358

(1). AS REGARDS THE SEALS USED BY THE LONDON OFFICE Enclosure A

contains London seals which have been restrung or string

pulled out. The mail bags can be unfastened, retied and the

same seal reused without showing any obvious signs of viola-

-tion. Enclosures B and C are two letters sent to the Secre-

-tary, Ceneral Post Office, London concerning seals used for

the Siberian Lails. The fact, therefore, that the seals are

apparently intact and in good order, is no valid and final

reason for supposing that mail bags have not been opened or

tampered.

(2). VERIFICATION NOTES FROM SHANGHAI TO LONDON CONCERNING RECEIFTS

OF MAILS. Formerly the Hongkong Kails were enclosed in begs

for the Shani Office. The Hongkong bags should be sealed. Latterly the Hongkong wails have been sent unenclosed and have

often an additional label bearing Japanese characters. En-

-closure D - T are copies of such verification notes. Some

of these have never been acknowledged by the London Office.

REMARKS.

Enclosure D 6.7.10. A case of fastenings in bad condition. Fastening resealed by Russian Post Office. Enclosures E 2.9.10

F 6.9.10, G 13.9.10. Three consecutive occasions in which the

inner Hongkong bag arrived at Shanghai unsealed. Enclosures U & V are a letter written by me to the Secretary and the reply. The reply states that the bags were believed to have been properly sealed when despatched. I am unable to recall a case of an inner mail bag being sent unsealed via Suez by the

London Office.

Enclosure H 23.9.10. The string of a bag containing a Hong- -kong Mail was observed to be knotted i.e. tue string may have been cut and retied. In the Hongkong wail there were about 250 missorts for Shanghai (one big bundle).

Enclosure I 18.10.10. Bag with hole, and string and one

packet