893.711/36: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in China (MacMurray)
168. Department’s 157, May 13, 6 p.m., last paragraph. Postmaster General has replied on May 17 in part as follows:
“The mailing of these publications in the manner requested by the publisher would be contrary to the provisions of the Universal Postal Convention, which governs the exchange of international mails.
[Page 763]I may add that it is general practice to prepare despatches of mails for a foreign country at a post office of the country of origin, and the isolated instances in which articles are mailed by being handed over to the purser or to a sea post clerk aboard a vessel are in the nature of a concession on the part of the country of origin and intended for the convenience of the mailing public by permitting the conveyance by a vessel of mail matter which would otherwise be detained until a subsequent sailing.
In view of the foregoing and of the circumstances that the country of origin is responsible for the compensation due the steamship company for the transportation of the mails, existing instructions of this department provide that, except as set forth in the preceding paragraph, sea post clerks shall decline to accept at a foreign port mail matter of any character which has not been regularly made up by a post office of the country of origin.”
Inform Shanghai.