§ MR. HENNIKER HEATON (Canterbury)To ask the Postmaster-General what countries have Post Offices in Tientsin; whether steps are being taken to abolish the British Post Office at that place; has Germany offered to take over the British postal business there; whether the British or Imperial Treasury has definitely refused to contribute anything towards the British Post Office at Tientsin; whether it has been definitely decided to close the British Post Office at Teintsin in October next unless the inhabitants of that place pay a large sum of money for the expenses; and whether any demand whatever has been made by Germany from the German subjects there for postal expenses of the Tientsin German Post Office.
(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) Besides the Chinese Imperial Post Office, there are British, French, German, Japanese, and Russian Post Offices at Tientsin. The question of the continued maintenance of the British agency 505 is now engaging the attention of His Majesty's Government. I have no information as to the incidence of the cost of maintaining the German agency.