§ COLONEL WELBY (Taunton),I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether attention has been drawn to the frequent instances of letters, officially weighed in British post offices, being surcharged as 1456 insufficiently prepaid on delivery in foreign countries; and, whether he can see his way to establishing a system by which letters officially weighed in a post office shall be marked with a prepaid stamp, which will be accepted by foreign countries without any re-weighing?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. R. W. HANBURY,) PrestonNo, Sir. Such complaints are extremely rare. It is provided by the Postal Union Regulations that insufficiently-prepaid letters shall be marked with a stamp recognised throughout the Union as indicating insufficient prepayment, and shall be forwarded separately from the fully-paid letters. The latter are not challenged at the offices of destination except in cases of obvious error. It is not thought necessary to impress an official stamp upon both classes of letters; but if the hon. and gallant Member will forward to the Post Office the covers of any letters which may appear to have been erroneously charged on delivery, careful inquiry on the subject will be made.