Coll 1/67 'Aden. Changes in administration in the event of separation from India: miscellaneous questions' [‎8r] (15/769)

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include the cost of printing them. The printing of stamps for Aden will in future
presumably be arranged by the Colonial Office, and the cost debited to Aden, and it
will be of interest to know what the annual expenditure on this account is likely to be.
With regard to telephones, it will be seen from the Government of India letter that
I have quoted that approximately a sum of Rs. 1,63,200 was spent in 1932-33 by the
Indian Posts and lelegraphs Department on the work of remodelling the system,
including the capital expenditure on buildings. It must be decided whether this sum
is to be paid to the Government of India by His Majesty's Government or by the new
Aden Administration. It appears to me undesirable that the new Colony should
commence its existence burdened by a debt of this nature, and I hope therefore that the
payment can be made by His Majesty’s Government. In this connexion I wish to refer
to Point 14 in the minutes of the meeting held at the Foreign Office in 1933, which
recorded my suggestion that all Government buildings at Aden should be transferred
free of cost by the Government of India to His Majesty’s Government (and by the
latter to the new Aden Government). If this principle is accepted, the Government of
India’s expenditure on telephone buildings should be excluded from the sum to be
paid to them for the telephone system. A reduction should also be made on account of
depreciation of the system during the years since it was installed.
At present, both the Aden Post Office and the Aden Telephones are directly but
separately under the control of the Postmaster-General, Bombay, who sends to Aden a
Postmaster and an Officer in Charge of Telephones. Neither of these officials is in any
way subordinate to the other; their work is conducted independently of each other in
Aden, although they are both under the same control in India. After the transfer, it
would probably be necessary that both Posts and Telephones should be placed under the
combined control of an officer responsible to the new Government, and that there should
therefore be an Officer in Charge of Aden Posts and Telephones. I suggest that this
officer be obtained on deputation from the Government of India, unless the Colonial Office
can supply him. A tentative provision for the cost of his appointment has been made in
the Draft Estimates.
An alternative that has been suggested to me is that the Indian Posts and Telegraphs
Department should continue to work the Aden Post Offices and Telephones for a few
years after the transfer, as I understand was done in the case of the ‘Iraq Post Offices.
If the administration of the Postal and Telephone Departments is taken over by the new
Aden Government, it is probable that additional staff will be necessary in the Post Office
for maintaining Exchange accounts, and in the Telephone Department for billing and
accounting, work which at present is done in Bombay; and with the appointment of a
Director of Posts and Telephones it will still be necessary to have two subordinate officers
in separate charge of each of the Departments under the Director. The retention of
control by the Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department would obviate the necessity for
additional expenditure of this nature. I do not, however, know whether the Indian
Department would be prepared to manage the Aden Post Offices and Telephones on
behalf of the Aden Government, or, if so, on what terms they would be willing to do so.
I suggest, however, that this possibility be examined by the Colonial Office, and that,
if there is no objection to it in principle, it should be discussed with the Government of
India.
Point 3. Printing and Sale of Stamps .—I have referred to this question under
Point 2. Indian postage rates are at present in force in Aden; that is to say, the
minimum charge for ordinary letters is (1) One anna to any place in India, (2) 2| annas
to the United Kingdom and all the British possessions participating in the British
Imperial postage scheme and (3) 3£ annas to any other part of the world served by
foreign post except Ceylon and Portuguese India. I consider that these Indian rates
should be continued, at any rate for a time, if this is possible under Colonial administra
tion. An exception may be the rate to India. If the Government of India decide to
raise the postage from India to Aden from the first to the second category, it may be
necessary for the Aden Government similarly to raise the rate from Aden to India.
This change would be unpopular in Aden, especially with the Indian community, many
of whom have a large business correspondence with India. It will be more satisfactory
if the present postal rates between India and Aden could be preserved by special
agreement, and I recommend that the possibility of making an arrangement to this
effect be examined.
Point 4. Mail Contract .—It was agreed at the meeting held in 1933 that the India
Office should ascertain whether mail steamers must call at Aden under the terms of their
contract with the Government of India, and it was proposed that the existing arrange
ment should, if the Government of India agree, remain unchanged, at any rate for the
(C21513)
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