§ MR. PULESTONasked the Postmaster General, Whether his attention had been called to a statement in The Daily News as to an order said to have emanated from the Post Office with respect to the carrying of Press matters by train?
§ THE POSTMASTER GENERAL (Mr. Raikes) (Cambridge University)I am obliged to my hon. Friend for the opportunity of answering this Question. The statements contained in the paragraphs to which he has referred appear to have originated in an entire misconception. Press matter is not, in the view of the Post Office—nor, I should think, in that of any persons capable of construing the law—to be regarded as of the nature of a letter. It is much more closely allied to goods. And being regarded as goods, it follows that manuscript for the Pres3 exempts also any covering letter relating to it from the Regulations attaching to other correspondence. It was never contemplated by the recent Circular to interfere with the present system of transmitting Press matter by train; but only to call the attention of the Railway Companies to a practice, which we believe to be increasing, of forwarding ordinary letters under the guise of railway parcels, to the injury of the Revenue.