CO129-477 - Public Offices - 1922 — Page 258

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GENERAL POST OFFICE, LONDON, B.C.1.

March 24th, 1922,

257

Siri-

With reference to the last two paragraphs of your

letter of the 10th, of December last, I am directed by the

Postmaster General to inform you that the ratification of the decisions of the Washington Conference will probably be awaited before any definite steps are taken towards withdrawing

the British Agencies in China,

The general lines of the procedure which will be

followed can, however, be laid down now,

The Postmaster General approves your sotion in not

authorising fresh appointments, and he has approached the Foreign Office with a view to an agreement with the Chinese

Government that, as you suggest, the Chinese employees taken over should not be required to give the usual written undertaking

to serve in any province in China,

Unless it would be a real convenience for winding

up that the business of the Agencies should be closed down gradually as you suggest, the Postmaster General would prefer

that their activities should continue until close on the

final date,

It is accordingly proposed that Mails, Koney Orders,

etc., should continue to be sent out to the Agencies up to

the end of September at least, Even Parcel kails despatched

up to the end of that month should arrive in ample time for

complete disposal by the end of the year, In the opposite

direction business might be accepted up to the last moment

and the whole of the Chinese staff might be transferred en

Postmaster General,

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Hong Kon

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