§ MR. BOLAND (Kerry, S.)I beg to ask the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that from experiments made at Caherdaniel, county Kerry, the climatic conditions are specially suitable for the growing of flowers such as violets, narcissi, and daffodils; whether, seeing that the nearest railway station is nineteen miles distant, he can state whether any special facilities for forwarding cut flowers in large quantities will be given if an industry of this nature is started; and can he say whether any, and, if so, what facilities are given by international agreement to the growers of flowers in the South of France and elsewhere.
LORD STANLEYI was not aware of the experiments to which the hon. Member refers, but I will have inquiry made as regards the facilities for despatching parcels by post from Caherdaniel and will acquaint the hon. Member with the result. As regards the latter part of the hon. Member's Question, I may say that at the postal Union Congress held at Washington, proposals were made by several Continental countries to extend the provisions of the sample post in a manner which would have operated
† See page 71.324 in favour of Continental flower-growers. Those proposals were, however, not accepted, and the Postal Union Convention, which in its present form was the issue of that Congress and governs international postal relations, makes no specific provision for the transmission of fresh flowers. They can be sent at the letter or parcel rate of postage, or, if they are genuine trade samples of no saleable value, at the reduced rate applicable to samples.