§ MR. WEIRI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether any of the information contained in "Sell's List of 439 Registered Abbreviated Telegraph Addresses" has been or is now supplied by officers of the Post Office either with or without the sanction of the Postmaster General; and, seeing that the accuracy of a work of this description, which purports to be a list of telegraph abbreviated addresses registered at the Post Office, cannot be ensured except through the assistance of the Department, will he state why a pecuniary payment has not been secured in return for such information; will he state the present cost of Sell's List; and, seeing that the custody of a list of abbreviated telegraph addresses rests primarily with the Postmaster General, will he state why a list is not published by command of the Postmaster General at a reasonable price to the public.
§ MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINThe abbreviated telegraph addresses contained in Sell's List are furnished by the Post Office in pursuance of an agreement between the Postmaster General and Mr. Sell, and a suitable payment is made by Mr. Sell for the information. The cost of the List is understood to be 18s. to subscribers and 21s. to non-subscribers. The question of the publication of an official list was carefully considered when the present arrangement with Mr. Sell, was made, but it was thought best to continue to leave the publication to Mr. Sell who was the originator of a list of this kind. The Post Office does not recommend the system of abbreviated addresses; and would much prefer that in all cases full addresses should be given in telegrams.
§ MR. WEIRI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, in view of the difficulty experienced by the public in securing a registered abbreviated telegraphic address in London, in consequence of most suitable words having already been appropriated, will the Postmaster General state the number of addresses registered in London; and will he consider the expediency of making the charge for a telegraphic address registered in London two guineas instead of one guinea as hitherto.
§ MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINThe number of telegraphic addresses regis- 440 tered in London by the Post Office is 24,318. The question raised by the hon. Member has been under consideration from time to time, and, while the Postmaster General is reluctant to propose a higher charge, he fears that if the difficulty of finding suitable words for registration increases some such measure may have to be taken.