§ MR. WALLACE (Edinburgh, E.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether it is the fact that the price of printing private or stationers' postcards has been raised from 30s. to 50s. per ream as a protection to the contractors; or what is the actual reason for a fee 2,000 per cent above the price at which any printer would execute the work?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. JACKSON,) Leeds, N.The hon. Member appears to be under some misapprehension as to the reasons why the concession of printing postcards for private persons was, and is, allowed. The concession was intended to enable firms desiring to obtain postcards in sheets for printing or other purposes so to obtain them; but it was not intended to facilitate competition with the Government sale of postcards as such. The hon. Member is, no doubt, aware that the Revenue Departments Estimates Committee last year reported that the evidence showed that there is an 1816 actual loss to the revenue on all halfpenny postage matter; the actual distribution, collection, conveyance, and delivery of postcards cause a loss to the revenue; and with a view of somewhat reducing this loss the charge for printing postcards for private persons has been raised from 1s. 6d. to 2s. 6d. per 1,000 cards; but this has been done, not for the purpose of protecting the contractors for postcards, but for the purpose of diminishing the loss to the revenue.