MR. HENNIKERHEATON (Canterbury)I beg to ask the Postmaster General whether it has been brought to his notice that in numerous cases the sender of a letter, without desiring to register it, wishes to have proof that it has been posted, either as a check upon the messenger or for his own satisfaction, and for business purposes; whether a trial has been made of giving the sender of a letter, upon demand, a certificate of the posting of his letter at a uniform charge of 1d.; in what way the fact that the experiment was in progress was notified to the public; whether he is aware that the introduction of the system is generally desired by men of business; and whether it could be carried out so as to increase the Postal Revenue without entailing additional responsibility or liability for loss on the Department?
§ THE POSTMASTER GENERAL (Mr. A. MORLEY,) Nottingham, E.A trial has twice been made of a system such as that referred to by the hon. Member, the fee charged being½d. The cities of Liverpool, Birmingham, and Bath were chosen for the purpose of the experiment in the first instance, and Glasgow in the second, and special notices to the public were issued, calling attention to the arrangement. The demand for certificates, nevertheless, proved so insignificant as not to justify its general adoption. The granting of certificates of posting confers no additional security on the letters—that is only to be obtained by registration—and, so far as I am aware, no general desire exists on the part of any section of the public for the introduction of the scheme.