§ MR. HENNIKER HEATON (Canterbury)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether he has been informed that, under the rule providing that undelivered letters containing articles of value shall be registered before being returned to the sender, an unstamped letter containing three stamps, which letter could not be 431 delivered, was recently registered and returned to the sender, who was called upon to pay for such registration; and, whether he will direct that the rule shall not be enforced in similar cases, where enclosures of trifling value are concerned?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. R. W. HANBURY, Preston)It has not been possible to identify the case alluded to by the hon. Member, as he does not mention the value of the stamps—or the kind of stamp, whether postal or revenue—but if the stamps enclosed in the letter mentioned were of the value of 1s. or upwards the letter was properly registered. It is the practice of the Department in returning undelivered letters containing articles of intrinsic or negotiable value of 1s. and upwards to register them for security, and the Postmaster General does not consider it advisable to depart from this practice. If it is desirable to register letters containing articles of value when despatched by a private person, it is equally necessary to do so when they are returned by the Post Office to the sender.