§ CAPTAIN NORTON (Newington, W.)I beg to ask the Postmaster General whether he will consult with Foreign Postal Authorities with a view to introducing International reply letter cards upon a similar basis to the existing arrangement re reply post cards; whether he is aware that the French Postal Authorities have adopted and are about 1389 to introduce the reply letter card for inland purposes, and presumably for their colonies; and whether he is aware that the proposal in question is approved by several Foreign Postal Ministers, by a number of Chambers of Commerce at home, abroad, and in the colonies, as well as by Foreign Chambers of Commerce?
§ THE POSTMASTER GENERAL (Mr. A. MORLEY, Nottingham, E.)The question of introducing an International reply letter card was discussed sat the Postal Union Congress held at Vienna in 1891, but was rejected on the ground that the difficulties connected with such a scheme wore considered to be insuperable. The French Post Office some time ago appointed a Technical Committee to examine the question, and a promise was made that the result of their deliberations should be communicated to the British Post Office, but this has not yet been done. I am not aware how far Foreign Postal Ministers or Chambers of Commerce may be in favour of such a proposal; but having consulted the Chambers of Commerce in this country, I find that a considerable portion of them are of opinion that no real inconvenience is caused by the absence of facilities for prepaying replies to letters sent abroad, and that no action is necessary.