§ MR. HENNIKER HEATONI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether 620 he is aware that the Postmaster General of Hong Kong announced on or before the 12th February last that penny postage from Shanghai, Wei-Hai-Wei, and other parts of China to the United Kingdom would come into operation on the 15th February, and that accordingly letters were so stamped and sent to this country, and will he state at what date the notification of this change was received in this country; and, seeing that a correspondent in this country called the Postmaster General's attention to the reduced postage from China on the 22nd March, will he explain why no reply was sent until the 14th April (in Letter 49 C); and, having regard to the fact that on the 14th April the correspondent was informed that the postage from this country was 2½d. to China, will he state what was the cause of the delay in reciprocal action, on the part of this country, for over two months.
§ MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINThe Hong Kong post office appears to have announced locally at an early date in February last its intention to institute penny letter postage from British post offices in China to the United Kingdom on the 15th of that month, and to have carried this intention into effect; but it was not until nearly a month later that the announcement reached the Postmaster General. Through a misapprehension on the part of the Hong Kong Government this step had been taken without coming to an agreement with the Postmaster General and without the knowledge of the Secretary of State for the Colonies. What course should be taken in these irregular conditions was a question for the consideration of the Government. As soon as it was decided to make the penny rate reciprocal, no time was lost by the Postmaster General in giving effect to the decision. The hon. Member will see that the delay arose from the neglect of the Colonial Government to observe the fundamental principle governing such cases that no steps should be taken for establishing penny postage to the United Kingdom until a reciprocal arrangement has been concerted. The reply of the 14th of April to the correspondent referred to by the hon. Member was an interim statement, sent pending the decision of the Government as to the change of postage. The correspondent 621 was told of the facts as they existed; but was duly informed that any modification of them would be notified to the public without delay.