§ MR. HENNIKER HEATON (Canterbury)I beg to ask the Postmaster General, with reference to the instructions given to the Representatives of this country at the Postal Congress of Vienna, 1891, and contained in a Paper recently presented to Parliament, when 1138 and by whom these instructions were drawn up, and who settled the principles laid down in them; to whom they were submitted, and who signed them; and whether they were communicated to and approved by the Government or any Cabinet Minister, or other Minister not connected with the Post Office; if so, the name of such Minister? I will also ask the right hon. Gentleman, at the same time, whether, in preparing the "Instructions" given to the British Delegates at the Postal Congress of Vienna, 1891, any consideration was accorded to the letter of the hon. Member for Canterbury to Lord Salisbury, dated 9th March, 1891, and the letter of the same hon. Member to the (then) Chancellor of the Exchequer, dated 10th June, 1891; what efforts were made by the said Delegates to carry out the part of their instructions directing them to obtain freedom of action and permission to establish reduced rates of postage to the Colonies; and, if any such efforts were made, whether, and in what documents, they are recorded; and whether, in the negotiations with the Australian Delegates, our Delegates suggested a reduction of British postal rates to the Colonies, the Colonial return rates to this country being left untouched?
§ MR. A. MORLEYWith the hon. Member's permission I will answer both questions at the same time. Question 34 (the first of the two) and the first paragraph of 35 refer to matters which were under the control of the late Government, and to the relations which existed between the Postmaster General of the day and his colleagues in the Cabinet. I regret that I have no information on the subject, but I would suggest that the hon. Gentleman might obtain the information from the late Government. In answer to paragraph 2 of Question 35, the subject of obtaining such a relaxation of the terms of the Convention as is described in the "Instructions" became purely academical through the acceptance of the terms on which the Australasian Colonies proposed to enter the Union. Nevertheless, the British Delegates did obtain such a relaxation as recorded in the Proceedings of the Congress. The answer to the third paragraph of Question 35 is in the negative.