§ MR. WEBBI beg to ask the Postmaster General if he will explain why the United Kingdom Postal Union cards, which until recently were the same size as those issued by the principal European States—namely, 5 4/8 by 3 4/8 inches, have now been reduced to 5⅛ by 3 2/8, or one-seventh; whether he is aware that the German and some other Continental home cards of the value in United Kingdom money of one halfpenny, are 40 per cent. larger than ours sold at 5½. for ten; and would there be any objection to increasing the size of our Postal Union and internal cards to the sizes of those issued by other countries of equal importance?
§ SIR J. FERGUSSONUntil recently three different rates of postage were chargeable in this country for postcards sent to places abroad—namely,. 1d., 1½d., and 2d. In carrying out the scheme of uniform postage to all places abroad, it was decided to abolish the 1½d. and 2d. postcards, and make the 1d. postcard available to all destinations; but it was found necessary to accompany this concession with a slight reduction in the weight of the cards, the payments for the transit of cards through foreign countries and colonies being made by weight. The dimensions of the inland postcards have not undergone any change for the last 20 years, but it is true that some foreign countries employ larger cards in their home service. The new cards for transmission abroad are larger than the inland cards; but the size of both has been fixed with regard to the reasonable requirements of the senders in the vast majority of cases. Both appear to give general satisfaction, and it is not intended to alter the sizes.