§ MR. HANBURY (Preston)asked the Postmaster General, What contracts for stamps and stamped paper were made with the firm of De la Rue and Co. in the years 1880 and 1881, and for what periods; whether all, or any of such contracts, were made without competition; what part, if any, officials of the Inland Revenue took on behalf of the Post Office as to making such contracts, and in what capacity; and, whether he has reason to believe that any, or all, of such contracts have entailed a large and unnecessary extra expenditure upon the Post Office; and, if so, to what extent?
§ THE POSTMASTER GENERAL (Mr. RAIKES) (Cambridge University)In 1840 the duty of making what was then called "franking stamps" and postage envelopes was intrusted to the Commissioners of Stamps and Taxes, the predecessors of the present Board of Inland Revenue. This function now includes the supply of English thin cards, English stout cards, newspaper wrappers, and English envelopes of three sizes—for the manufacture of which articles contracts were, I understand, made in the year 1880 by the Board of Inland Revenue with the firm of De la Rue and Co. I believe that these contracts were made for 10 years from that date. As far as I can ascertain, these contracts were made without any competition. The officials of the Inland Revenue are not responsible to, or controlled by, the Postmaster General in making such contracts; but act, I presume, upon their own discretion. I have no official knowledge which would enable me to give a precise answer to my hon. Friend's last Question; but from inquiries which I have endeavoured to make unofficially I am led to believe that, out of the sum of nearly £100,000, the present annual net charge of De la Rue and Co. for supplying these articles, not much less than half may be estimated as net profit to 1631 them, and my hon. Friend will probably exercise his own judgment as to how much of this sum should be described as unnecessary extra expenditure.