§ MR. HENNIKER HEATONI beg to ask the Postmaster General whether he has any objection to state what is the exact amount of the excess over £22,000, which sum is referred to in the Treasury Minute of the 6th August 1894 as being insufficient to cover the loss, which is annually sustained in the distribution, &c., of postcards; what percentage relation does the figure of £22,000 bear to the total prime cost of the cards; and what is the total weight of postcards annually distributed from London throughout the United Kingdom?
§ SIR JOHN HIBBERTSince the Treasury Minute of 6th August 1894, the introduction of private postcards has so modified the facts that the figures in the Minute are no longer applicable. It is not possible, moreover, to state exactly the expense of distributing &c. postcards.
§ MR. HENNIKER HEATONI beg to ask the Postmaster General whether he can state the number of postcards 17 sold each year in single cards at ¾d. each, or at a profit of some 800 per cent. on the prime cost; and whether that profit goes into the revenue of the Post Office or into the pockets of the individual postmaster selling the cards?
§ MR. ARNOLD MORLEYFrom a recent return, it would appear that only about one official card in 100 is sold singly: and on this basis it is estimated that the total number of postcards sold singly is less than 1,500,000 a year. At the larger offices the proceeds of the sales of these postcards are carried to the Post Office revenue.