642
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 5TH NOVEMBER, 1879.
The following is the result. The French office will agree to reduce its transit rates from
15 frs. 52c. per kilo. for letters.
for newspapers.
604c.
1 fr. 21e.
for books,
31
for letters.
"
50c. other articles,
to 10 frs.
And the Italian Post Office will reduce its rates of
100 frs. per kilo for letters, 50c. other articles, by about 35 per cent.
These concessions would reduce the special transit charges on letters by about 9 francs per kilo- gramme, leaving payable about 16 francs per kilogramme, and after full consideration I have come to the conclusion that it will be desirable to accept the offers made and to send the entire mail by the route of Brindisi and by the weekly mail.
In a correspondence which I have had with the Director General of the Indian Post Office, he expressed an opinion that when the Southampton Mail Packets are withdrawn, all letters, &c., paid at the Southampton rate of postage should be forwarded via Brindisi, by the ordinary mail trains of France and Italy, so as to obtain the benefit of the ordinary union transit rates.
But I cannot advise such an arrangement, which could not fail to give rise to much dissatisfaction. In the case of the outward mails, supposing the accelerated mail to be despatched from London on the evening of every Friday, as at present, and a packet to leave Brindisi early on Monday morning, letters sent by the ordinary trains might be posted in London up till the evening of a previous day (Thursday) and reach Brindisi in time to catch the packet.
In the opposite direction the mails for England reaching Brindisi from the East would, if sent through Italy and France by the ordinary trains, arrive in London only about 24 hours after the express mail; or if a Sunday intervened both portions of the mails might be delivered together.
The consequence of this would be that the bulk of the letters would assuredly be diverted from the quick to the slow Mail, seeing that the difference in time would be so trifling.
If such were the case there would be a risk that on the one hand the payments to France and Italy for the accelerated Service might be diminished to an extent which would lead to a demand for higher transit rates, and that on the other hand the weight and bulk of the correspondence sent by the ordinary trains might become so great as to impose extraordinary charges for its conveyance, and thus induce the French and Italian Offices to decline to accept the ordinary Union transit rates.
The right course, in my opinion, is as I have said, to send the whole of the Eastern Mails by the
Accelerated Service.
At the same time I propose that the single rate of postage to be levied on letters to or from India, China, &c., should not exceed 5 pence, which is one penny less than the present Brindisi rate, and one penny more than the Southampton rate, which was reduced from sixpence to fourpence, on the 1st of April last.
In the case of letters to Australia the rate would be 7d.
The amount derived from the supplementary charge of 1d. per half-ounce will not be quite sufficient to cover the payments to France and Italy, but the loss which will fall
upon the department will probably be less than we should have to pay to the Peninsular and Oriental Company, or any other Company by whose vessels the slow portion of the mails might be sent between England and Suez.
I have accordingly to request the authority of your Lordships to adopt the arrangements which I have here proposed.
Before coming to a decision your Lordships will no doubt consult the Secretary of State for India, as the Indian Government bears a portion of the expense of the Eastern Mail contract, and will also refer to Sir MICHAEL HICKS BEACH the proposal, so far as it affects the charge on letters exchanged with the Australian Colonies and New Zealand, or with Ceylon, the Straits Settlements, or Hong Kong.
I have, &c.,
The Lords Commissioners of the Treasury.
No. 219.
GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.
The following Notice to Mariners is published for general information.
By Command,
Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 4th November, 1879.
JOHN MANNERS.
W. H. MARSH,
Colonial Secretary.
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