§ MR. HENNIKER HEATON (Canterbury)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General—(1) whether he will state the total amount of the loss sustained on the telegraphs in this country since they were acquired by the State, including the amount for interest on the purchase-money of such telegraphs; (2) whether he will also give the total amount expended in the same period on the acquisition of sites for and the erection of telegraph offices, and also the estimated total value of the said sites and offices at the present day; and (3) whether the cost of acquiring the said sites and erecting telegraph offices has been defrayed from year to year out of current revenue; or, if not, what amount has been defrayed out of current revenue?
§ MR. HANBURYThe information asked for in the first paragraph of the hon. Member's Question will be found in Parliamentary Paper No. 5 of this Session, and has already been given to him in reply to a previous question asked on April 28. The total deficiency to March 31, 1895, is £5,847,110 3s. 6d. The proportion chargeable to telegraph account of the expenditure to the same date on sites and buildings, as shown in Parliamentary Paper No. 37 of February 11, 1895, amounts to £1,241,774. No estimate of the present worth of such sites and buildings can be given without a special valuation in each case. The whole cost of acquiring sites and buildings has been defrayed out of the sums voted for the purpose by Parliament from year to year.
§ MR. HENNIKER HEATONasked whether the Secretary to the Treasury was aware that the two returns were contradictory?
§ MR. HANBURYI do not think they are.