Hill to Rogers (Permanent Under-Secretary)
General Post Office
15 June 1868
Sir,
In a letter to the Treasury dated the 12th August last the Postmaster General suggested that certain proposals should be made, through the Colonial Office, to the Government of British Columbia for the improvement of the postal service between the United Kingdom and that Colony.
These proposals had in view the establishment of a uniform rate of postage onlettersManuscript image letters, newspapers, Books and Patterns, combining both the British and Colonial rates, with an arrangement that each Office should retain the postage it collects. The Postmaster General further recommended that the cost of conveyance of the Mails across the Atlantic, and through the United States should be equally divided between the Mother Country and the Colony, and that the Mother Country should also pay half the reasonable expense of conveyance between San Francisco andBritishManuscript image British Columbia.
The Postmaster General requests that you will be good enough to inform him whether the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos has received any reply to these proposals from the Government of British Columbia.
From a communication received from the Acting Postmaster General of British Columbia dated the 16th January last, it appears that preparations were then being made in the Colony for carrying the new arrangements into operation;andManuscript image and since that time letters have arrived in the Mails from New Westminster, which have been paid to the amount of 25 cents each, under the impression seemingly that the postage could be prepaid to England; but, in the absence of any acceptance by the Colonial Government of the Duke of Montrose's offer, such letters could not be regarded by this Office as paid to destination, and have been charged on delivery with the usual British postage.
ThisManuscript image
This charge has given rise to numerous complaints from the Public, and the Duke of Montrose is anxious, therefore, to learn as soon as possible that the Colonial Government agree to the arrangements.
I have the honor to be,
Sir,
Your obedient
humble Servant
F. Hill
Minutes by CO staff
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Sir F. Rogers
Answer that a copy of their letter of the 12 Aug last referred to was sent to the Govr of B. Columbia on the 24th of that month, but that no answer has been recd. A further despatch will therefore be addressed to the Govr on the subject.
See 54 from Post Office herewith—& draft proposed to Govr.
CC 16/6
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I suppose it is hardly worth while now transmitting to B.C. the infn contained in 54/68 B.C. wh wd be more than a year old before it reached the Colony, the enclosure bearing date 26 July/67. Qu put that by?
FR 16/6
CBA 17/6
B&C 17/6
Other documents included in the file
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Draft reply, Buckingham to Seymour, No. 33, 19 June 1868 forwarding the postmaster general’s letter regarding the postal service between British Columbia and Britain and requesting a reply and report from Seymour on the subject.
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Rogers to Secretary to the Post Office, 22 June 1868, advising a further despatch had been sent to the governor on the subject.