MR. LEATHAM BRIGHT (Stoke-upon-Trent)I beg to ask the Junior Lord of the Treasury whether it is a fact that a post office order signed by an agent of the Government is not a negotiable security; whether the Government are aware that a serious case has occurred in New Zealand of an advance of money having been made against post office orders, the payment of which money was repudiated; whether the Government is aware that the credit of the Post Office has suffered severely in the Colony by the above case of Mr. Cairns, of Auckland; and whether the Government will take any steps to remedy the grievance?
§ A LORD OF THE TREASURY (Sir H. MAXWELL, Wigtonshire)With the permission of the hon. Member, I shall reply to the question. The Post Office is not in possession of any information as to the circumstances referred to by the hon. Member; but if he will be good enough to give the Postmaster General the particulars of the case which he has in view he will be happy to cause inquiry to be made on the subject. Under the regulations governing the exchange of money orders between the United Kingdom and the colonies money orders are not negotiable. They are payable only to the persons in whose favour they are drawn by the senders, unless they are passed through a bank. This is not so much a matter for the British as for the New Zealand Post Office, which has the power to make its 1325 own regulations, subject, of course, to any agreement made with this country.