§ SIR BLUNDELL MAPLE (Camberwell, Dulwich)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, if, in view of the desirability of lessening the Sunday labour of postmen, he will cause inquiry to be made in those places having a Sunday delivery as to the convenience of delivering on Sundays only those letters and packets (except those posted abroad) which bear the word "Important" written above the address?
§ MR. HANBURYThis is an arrangement which has often been suggested to the Post Office, but there are objections to its adoption. The Post Office has no legal right to withhold letters received on Sunday morning from delivery to the addressees merely because they are not marked "Important" by the senders. Letters can only be withheld from their proper delivery in due course of post at the request of the addressees, and when such request is made it must apply to all correspondence received, seeing that to divide the letters in order to send some only out for delivery and withhold the rest would not tend to diminish Sunday labour upon the whole. Apart from this, however, it is to be feared that the suggested arrangement might tend to frustrate its own object, as there is little doubt that advertising persons who desired to call special attention to their circulars and to ensure their being opened would seize the opportunity of marking them "Important"—[laughter]—and posting them for delivery on Sunday 814 morning, and thus the number of letters received might be increased rather than diminished. [Cheers.]
§ SIR BLUNDELL MAPLEinquired if the Post Office authorities were aware that in Belgium stamps were marked in such a way that letters bearing them could be held over the Sunday.
§ MR. HANBURYpromised to make inquiry.