§ MR. M'LARENasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the published Revenue Returns up to the 25th of July (which state that the gross revenue from the Post Office and Tele-graph Service amounts to £2,250,000 1031 for the current financial year, as against £1,280,000 for the corresponding period of last year), How much of this nominal increase of £970,000 is real, and how much is due to the mode of appropriation of those revenues during the last financial year?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER, in reply, said, that any comparison between the Returns of Revenue from the Post Office and Telegraph Services up to the 26th of July this year as compared with the Returns up to the 26th of July last year would be very fallacious, because there were various circumstances which disturbed the comparison. In the first place, irregularities had occurred in the Post Office which were not adjusted last year, and, in the second place, a new system had been en-forced by which repayments with regard to the expenses of collection were made monthly, instead of quarterly. He would prefer at present not to give any answer with regard to the precise statement of accounts. He was afraid that if he entered into any statement on the subject it might mislead, and he would wait until the end of the quarter, when a fair comparison could be made.