Hill to Rogers (Permanent Under-Secretary)

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 on 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 and
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; 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.

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.