§ MR. J. FORTESCUE FLANNERY (Yorkshire, Shipley)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether the Postmaster General is aware that English periodicals addressed to British marine officers and sailors, care of British Consuls in foreign ports, are in a large percentage of cases lost or stolen; and whether, having regard to the great disappointment of English officers and sailors abroad arising therefrom, it is possible to institute some system of registration or other protection against theft of English newspapers addressed to the care of Consulates at Indian, Chinese, and Japanese ports?
§ MR. HANBURYThe Postmaster General has received no complaints which would lead him to suppose that losses of periodicals addressed to officers and seamen of Her Majesty's ships at foreign ports are at all numerous, but if the hon. Member has any evidence to the contrary, and will submit it to the Postmaster General, the matter will be inquired into. Newspapers for Her Majesty's ships at Indian, Chinese, and Japanese ports are forwarded in separate mail bags addressed to each ship, and in ordinary course would not come into the hands of the British Consuls at those ports.