§ MR. HENNIKER HEATONI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, what are the difficulties in the way which prevent the exchange of postal orders with Australia; whether the Australian Colonies at a Postal Conference, held at Hobart in March 1892, made a request to exchange postal orders; whether he is aware that the Postmasters General of the Australasian Colonies are unanimously of opinion that the risk of fraud would be no greater than now encountered in using postal orders in England; and whether he will consent to give the system a trial?
§ MR. HANBURYThe main objection to the establishment of an exchange of postal orders between this country and Australia is the danger of loss by forgery or fraud, which would be a serious risk in view of the length of time that must elapse before the discovery of the forgery or fraud. Although a resolution in favour of an exchange of postal orders with the United Kingdom was passed at the Postal Conference held at Hobart in 1892, no general proposal from the colonies has been received; and it is not known that 1612 the Australian Postmasters General are unanimously of opinion that the risk of fraud would be no greater than is now encountered in using postal orders in England. The Postmaster General has been giving careful consideration to the question, but no means of overcoming the objection to which I have referred has presented itself, and he regrets, therefore, that he is not prepared to give the system a trial.
§ MR. HENNIKER HEATONI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether his attention has been called to the following inequalities in postal order commissions and charges; to forward 8s. the cost is 2d.; to forward 15s. the cost is 1½d.; to forward 17s. the cost is 2½d.; to forward 12s. 6d. the cost is 2d.; whether he will reconsider the decision of the officials not to issue intermediary postal orders from 6d. up to 20s., or whether he will take evidence from the public on the question; and whether he will so far meet the wishes of the people by issuing postal orders for 7s., 8s. and 9s.?
§ MR. HANBURYThe Postmaster General is, of course, aware of the scale of poundage upon postal orders. The inequalities are due to the fact that postal orders are issued for fixed sums, and that it requires two postal orders to transmit the intermediate sums. It was explained to the hon. Member on May 1 last year that the Government did not propose to incur the expense which would be involved in issuing postal orders rising by graduations of 6d. up to 20s., and they do not see their way to reconsider this decision. It does not appear that any useful object would be served by taking formal evidence from the public on this question, for the public are never slow to bring their wants to the notice of the Postmaster General. That the convenience of the public is met already appears to be clear from the fact that postal orders are very popular, and that their circulation reaches 67 millions a year. The Postmaster General dries not propose to issue postal orders for 7s., 8s. and 9s.; any increase in the number of denominations would involve increased expenditure, which it would be necessary to meet by an increase in the rate of commission.