§ MR. MACLEAN (Oldham)I beg to ask the Postmaster General whether his attention has been called to an article in the Journalist of 7th March, in which it is stated that, without making any concession to journalists, if he would arrange to allow figures, which take only a tenth of the time to write and the Department much less time to transmit, to be telegraphed as cheaply as the words which spell the figures, both journalists and the Department would be benefited, as the work would be done by each in less time, the transmission of Press messages would be accelerated, and the Department would receive the same payment for considerably less labour; and whether he will 1235 consider the expediency of giving effect to this recommendation?
§ *MR. RAIKESI have read the article in question, and I find that both the newspaper and the hon. Member have shifted their ground. What they originally sought was the assimilation of the method of counting figures in Press telegrams with that which obtains in regard to ordinary telegrams. A concession was involved in such assimilation, and I was not prepared to grant it. The suggestion now made is, that a new method of counting should be adopted. I have considered this method, but I do not regard it as being preferable to the present one, which affords greater security for accuracy in transmission.