CO129-407 - Public Offices & Others - 1913 — Page 442

嘴

Address reply to "The Secretary, General Past Omoe,"

quoting Registered No...... 210129/12.

C.O

435

15575

GENERAL POST OFFICE, LONDON,3

7

May 1913.

Sir,

With reference to your letter of the 34th ultimo,

No. 12985. concerning further irregularities in connexion with the Mail service to Tong King via Siberia, I am

directed to acquaint you, for the information of the

Secretary of State for the Colonies, that the delays

reported by the Post Office of Hong Kong are similar to

those which have occurred for some tine past in the trans-

Siberian Mail Service and which, as the Secretary of State

is aware, have already been the subject of strong representa-

tions to the Russian Post Office.

It has been ascertained by enquiry from the French and

German Post Offices that similar delay occurs to the Mails

for the Far East við Siberia despatched by those Administra-

tions.

The Postmaster General has had no evidence brought

before him to cause him to modify his opinion that the

suspicions expressed at Hong Kong as to violation of the

Mails in transit are unfounded. Damage to the seals of Mail bags during conveyance via Siberia is probably inevitable:

but the Postmaster General has no reason to think that seals

Under Secretary of State,

are

COLONIAL OFFICE.