§ MR. HENNIKER HEATON (Canterbury)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, will he explain why it is that a parcel on which 10.½d. has been paid is redirected from the House of Commons to Eaton Square free of charge, but when redirected from the House of Commons to the Grand Hotel, Charing Cross, an additional charge of 10½d. is levied; and whether he will take steps to place parcels on the same footing as other postal packets with respect to free redirection, seeing that before the existing regulations were made, on the 31st of May 1892, a parcel and, in fact, all postal packets might be redirected from one point to another within the metropolis free of charge?
§ * MR. HANBURYUnder the present regulations, parcels are redirected free of charge only when the original and 144 the new address are in the delivery of the same post-office; and, consequently, a parcel redirected from the House of Commons to Charing Cross, which are in different districts, would be liable to fresh postage; while a parcel redirected from the House of Commons to Eaton Square, which are in the same district, would be sent on free of charge. The Postmaster General cannot see his way clear to extend the privilege of free redirection to parcels or to modify the present regulations so as to admit of parcels being redirected without charge from one part of London to another.