§ MR. JACOB BRIGHTasked the Postmaster General, If his attention has been called to a correspondence in the Manchester newspapers on the subject of the 1099 anomalies of the Post Office Telegraph charges; whether it is true that a message of twenty words from hence to Vienna costs 7s. 8d., while a message from Vienna to Manchester costs barely 6s.; a message from hence to any part of Germany costs 7s., while a message from Germany to Manchester costs barely 6s. 3d.; the registration fee for a letter from England to Germany costs 4d., while a registration from Germany to England costs only 2¼d.; a pattern weighing under an ounce from England to Germany costs 1d., while a pattern of similar weight from Germany to England costs ½d.; and, whether he will consent to the changes that have been proposed, in order to relieve those who are engaged in the commerce of the country?
§ LORD JOHN MANNERSMy attention has been called to the correspondence in question. In respect to the telegraph charges, they are based on the regulations settled at the St. Petersburg Telegraph Conference of 1875, and another Conference will sit in London in the spring of next year, when these particular charges will be re-considered and probably reduced. In respect to the postal charges, they are based on the regulations of the Postal Conference of 1876; and although another Conference will be held in London in 1878, I cannot, of course, predict that these particular charges will be modified or reduced. I may add that the pattern post charge of 1d. from England to Germany carries matter up to two ounces in weight, and not only up to one ounce as stated in the Question.