MR. PARKER SMITH (Lanark, Patrick)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether his attention has been called to the recent prosecution of an advertising agent in the Glasgow Sheriff Court for infringing the Post Office monopoly by the delivery of circulars from door to door; whether he is aware that it appeared in evidence that the agent in question undertook to address and deliver circulars for 17s. 6d. per thousand; whether the postal charge for delivery alone would be £2 1s. 8d. per thousand; and whether the Post Office intends to insist on the right of 152 monopoly which the decision of the Sheriff Court declared it to possess; and, if so, whether the Post Office will be prepared to quote a lower rate for election addresses and other circulars delivered from door to door than that charged for conveying printed matter to any part of the world?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. R. W. HANBURY,) PrestonThe facts as stated by the hon. Member are substantially correct. I would point out that the Postmaster General has no power to waive the monopoly imposed on him by Parliament, or to institute such a differential rate as that suggested by the hon. Member.