§ MR. H. C. RICHARDS (Finsbury, E.)To ask the Postmaster-General whether he 1467 is aware that a charge of 10s. is demanded from subscribers to the Post Office Telephone or from the general public for a copy of the Provincial Directory of the Trunk Lines; and, if so, will he state whether this charge is that sanctioned by the Department in their arrangements with the National Telephone Company, and whether, in the interest of the Revenue and of the subscribers to the Post Office Telephones, an early reduction of such charge can be made; and whether, seeing that the use of the communication under the halfpenny postal rate of an order wanted, is allowed, he will arrange that the word "send" may be placed in the same category.
(Answered by Lord Stanley.) The charge of 10s. for the complete directory of subscribers to the National Telephone Company is the price fixed by the company for the general supply of such directory; and the Postmaster - General has no power to call upon them to supply copies for the use of Post Office subscribers or the public at a cheaper rate. As regards the second part of the hon. Member's Question, I can assure him that the question of allowing such written instructions as "send" in orders for goods by the halfpenny post has been very carefully considered, but I do not see my way to admitting any manuscript additions in such documents beyond those provided for when the privileges of the halfpenny post were recently extended.