CO129-439 - Others - 1916 — Page 291

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

quoting Registered No.

64000/16.

286

GENERAL POST OFFICE, LONDON.

17 June 1916.

C

O

28686

REC REG 19 JUN 16

Sir,

I am directed by the Postmaster to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 2nd of this month No.23638/1916 concerning the status of the staff of the British Post Office Agencies in China and to acquaint you, for the information of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, that the modification proposed in your letter is being communicated to the Treasury. A further communication on the subject will be addressed to you in due course.

Mr. J.C. Kaye, Chief Clerk at the Shanghai Post Office, who is one of the staff affected by the proposal, is suffering from "anæmia" and according to medical opinion is unfit for further service in China or Hong Kong. If the Agencies in China had still been under the control of Hong Kong he would no doubt not have received a pension. He has returned home and has been examined by the Chief Medical Officer to the Post Office who concurs in the opinion that if Mr. Kaye were to remain in China the disease would eventually bring about his death, but reports that his health has improved since he left China and that there is a reasonable prospect of his being able to render efficient and regular service in this country. It is understood that Mr. Kaye would prefer to remain in employment rather than to be granted his pension.

Under Secretary of State,

COLONIAL OFFICE.