CO129-421 - Governor Sir May - 1915 [3-4] — Page 355

CONFIDENTIAL.

REC

349

22565

REGAY 15)

HONGKONG,

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

9th. April, 1915.

In reply to your Confidential Despatch of the 10th. of November last, covering a letter from the General Post Office on the subject of the Contract for the conveyance of the Eastern and Australian Mails, I have the honour to inform you that

Şir,

mo

39867

14 soms

this Colony is only concerned with the tender for the China

Service, and that of the three alternatives (A), (B) and (C)

mentioned in Sir G. Murray's letter that under (B) for a fortnight- -ly Service terminating at Singapore is the most advantageous, for it is presumed that under it Hongkong would no longer pay any

share of the subsidy to the successful tenderer.

2.

The letter mail from Hongkong to Europe no longer goes by the Suez route under normal conditions. It follows

the Siberian route and in the event of that route being temporari- -ly unavailable, the correspondence could be sent to catch the

contract mail at Singapore.

As regards parcels, printed matter, samples etc., it would be advisable to continue to use the Suez route and

not the Canadian Pacific Railway route as proposed. It is true

that the Canadian route is slightly shorter, but the extra

handling of parcels owing to the frequent transhipments would be

a great disadvantage and would certainly call forth numerous

complaints.

3.

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

LEWIS HARCOURT, M.P.,

&c.,

&c.,

&c...