HC Deb 13 March 1854 vol 131 cc695-7
VISCOUNT JOCELYN

said, that he wished to put two questions to the Government—the first related to the present state of the Baltic trade and the intentions of Her Majesty's Government with respect to that trade. Since he had come into the House he had received a communication from the Secretary of the Treasury informing him that he would not be able to answer the question to-day. He (Lord Jocelyn) thought that the question was one which ought to be answered without delay, for many of his constituents were much alarmed, owing to Government not having made the statement promised a short time ago by the First Lord of the Admiralty, in reply to the right hon. Member for Manchester (Mr. M. Gibson) in reference to neutrals. As he understood, however, that the right hon. Gentleman intended to bring the question forward, he (Lord Jocelyn) would be content to leave the question in his hands. The second question which he wished to ask was this. He wished to ask the right hon. Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements had been made with the Royal Screw Steam-packet Company for the transmission of the mails to Australia; and whether such arrangements were to be considered as the principle upon which the colonial postal service would be conducted in future as opportunities occurred? He might be permitted to state, as Chairman of the Committee which last year investigated this subject, that their inquiries had led them to believe that the large sums of money which were given for these postal services had tended to create monopolies in the hands of particular companies.

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER

said, that, with respect to the question put by his noble Friend as to the arrangements which had been entered into with the Screw Steam-packet Company to Australia, he wished to state that the Government had adopted a plan different from that which had hitherto been the usual mode of proceeding; and in the course of a short time he hoped the papers connected with the transaction would be in such a state that they might be laid upon the table of the House, and they would explain to the House, more clearly than any answer he could give, the nature of the arrangements which had been adopted, and the ground of those arrangements. But he might shortly state that the principle of the arrangement was this—that 4d. would be charged as the sea postage, under the new plan of Her Majesty's Postmaster General, between this country and Australia; that the 4d. so charged would be divided between the Government and the company carrying the letters, and the company might be said to take their chance of the remuneration out of their proportion of the postage. The principle of doing the work would, therefore, be entirely changed, and instead of being paid for at a fixed rate by the Exchequer, it would be paid according to the amount of postal service done, and the amount of accommodation afforded. Out of the 4d. charged for the sea postage, the company would receive 3d. and the Government 1d. The entire sum charged would be 6d. There was a provision in the arrangement, that when the income or receipts of the company from the postage so calculated should arrive at a certain point, the company might be required by the Postmaster General to put on an increased number of steamers for the purpose of giving increased facilities of communication; and he would be at liberty to send letters to Australia by other than ships of the company, provided they were specially marked by the writers to be so sent. These were the principal points in the arrangement as it at present stood. With regard to the question whether this was the commencement of an improved system, and whether this was to be taken as an indication of the principle on which Her Majesty's Government would hereafter endeavour to make such arrangements, he wished to say that the general views of the Government on the subject of postal communication coincided with those of the Committee appointed last year to investigate the question. The conclusion to which the Committee came had been generally adopted by the Government. It followed, therefore, that as opportunities occurred the Government hoped and would endeavour to effect very material improvements in the position, both of Her Majesty's Government and the public, in reference to the performance of that service.