§ MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR (Donegal, E.)asked the Postmaster General, 541 Whether, seeing that the new postage stamps have been on issue to the public since the 1st of January, he has now any objection to lay upon the Table of the House the Report of the Committee upon Stamps, appointed by the late Mr. Fawcett when Postmaster General, together with the evidence taken by that Committee, and also the Report of the Controller of Stamps upon his visit to and inspection of the various Governmental Stamp Factories of Europe?
§ THE POSTMASTER GENERAL (Mr. RAIKES) (Cambridge University)The Report of the Committee on Postage Stamps, to which the hon. Member refers, includes matter which it would be very inexpedient to publish, and I therefore do not propose to lay such Report upon the Table. As regards the Report of the Controller of Stamps to his Board, I would refer to the reply given to the hon. Member by my Predecessor (Lord John Manners) on July 16th, 1885—namely, that an undertaking was given that all that the Controller saw and learnt during his inquiries was to be treated as confidential; and that it is not intended to lay the Report before Parliament.