CO129-407 - Public Offices & Others - 1913 — Page 226

Enclosure

B

ER NO.G.P.0.473/12.

Sør correspon lenge on this subject We number sonli bequoted

223

GENERAL POST OFFICE.

HONGKONG 7th. June, 1912,

•

I have the honour to inform you that reasons for suspicion exist that the mails from London to Hong Kong are being opened during the journey. The mails arrive out of the order in which they were sent, i... for the last three weeks the Friday's despatch has reached Shang- hal by a previous boat to that bringing the Wednesday's despatch. Portion of a mail arrives at Shanghai oy one boat and the remainder by the next boat, a bundle of

correspondence for Shanghai was found enclosed with

Hong Kong correspondence in a bag for Hong Kong eto, etc.

I forward for your inspection the six seals of the

despatches from your office of the 15th, and 18th, of

May which arrived here to day. In each case the knot at

the end was picked out, the seal drawn away from the string and the seal spread open with an ordinary desk penknife ready for the string to be reinserted, the lead could then be easily pressed together, giving the appear-

ance of a seal in good order and condition.

I would ask that some better meal be used for these

despatches, as the samples enclose afford little or no

protection.

The Secretary,

General Post Office,

London,

Tam,

sir,

Your obedient servant,

Sd. C.Mo.I.Mesner.

Postmaster General.