CO129-451 - Public Offices - 1918 — Page 320

In any further communication

on the subject, please quote

No. 41275/10F/18.

and address-

The Under-Secretary of State,

Foreign Offos,

Six:-

C.O.

13803

REC

3

316

FOREIGN OFFICE S.W.1.

,1918.

REG 20 MAR 18

March

London.

19

liour to

I am directed by Mr. Secretary Balf

acknowledge the receipt of your letter marked 10876/1918

of the 5th instant, enclosing copy of correspondence

on the subject of the maintenance of the British Postal

Agencies in China and stating that Mr. Long would be glad

to be favoured with any observations that Mr. Balfour

might desire to offer on the matter.

I am to inform you that the question of the

withdrawal of the British Postal Agencies was raised in 1914 and that in a letter from this department dated

January 30th 1915 the Postmaster-General was informed

that subject to his concurrence, Sir Edward Grey was pot

disposed, on general political grounds, to oppose the

closing of the British Postal Agencies in China, pro-

vided that five conditions which had been laid down

by Sir John Jordan as essential were conceded by China.

These five conditions were:-

1.

That the Postal Agencies of all nations should

be closed simultaneously.

2.

That adequate foreign supervision over the

Chinese Postal Administration should be retained.

That the Siberian route should be used for the

postal service between China and Great Britain,

3.

Mow

4.

That the same facilities given by the Foreign

agencies with regard to money and Postal Orders should

in/

le Under Secretary of State,

Colonial Office.