§ MR. HENNIKER HEATON (Canterbury)asked the Postmaster General, At what rate per letter was, or will be, paid to the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Steamship Company, for conveyance of Mails per S.S. Coptic, which left Plymouth for Tasmania and New Zealand on the 23rd instant, and what rate was charged to the public per letter to Tasmania and New Zealand; and, is he aware that the steamers of this Company sail once a month, and make the passage in 38 days?
§ THE POSTMASTER GENERAL (Mr. RAIKES) (Cambridge University)The usual ship letter gratuity of 1d. per letter has been paid to the commander of the Coptic for the mails which were put on board that ship at Plymouth on the 23rd of April for conveyance to Tasmania and New Zealand. The charge made to the public was 6d. per letter, which is uniformly the rate charged by all routes to Australasia, under a Treasury Warrant dated February, 1880. I am aware that the steamers of the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Steamship Company sail once a month. They make the pas- 555 sage to Tasmania, as I am informed, in from 39 to 44 days, and to New Zealand in from 44 to 49 days. I may, perhaps, add that no letters are sent by these private steamers other than such as are specially so super scribed by the senders, and that the number is very limited. If this course were not taken the Colonies would suffer the injustice of being deprived of a portion of their postage by the regularly subsidized mail packets which they now maintain themselves at considerable loss to the Colonial Revenues.
§ MR. HENNIKER HEATONArising out of that answer, am I to understand that though the British Post Office only pays 1d. per letter for the conveyance of these letters by fast and regular steamers to Australasian ports, the charge of 6d. per letter is made to the public?
§ MR. RAIKESI have already answered that Question.