§ MR. RENDALLI beg to ask the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been drawn to a packet posted at Portsmouth to a Mr. J. J. Young, J.P., of Portsmouth, and which was surcharged 1d. on the ground of the same exceeding two ounces in weight; whether he is aware that Mr. Young on receiving the packet immediately took it to the Portsmouth General Post Office, where it was weighed by the officials and found to be under two ounces, and that other packets containing the same document were posted at the same time and were not surcharged; and whether, seeing that any moisture (if any) absorbed may have been absorbed by the packet whilst in custody of Post Office officials, he will arrange for the return of the 1d. surcharge and will consider the advisability of allowing the return of such surcharges on reasonable proof being given to the local postmaster.
§ MR. SYDNEY BUXTONI find that eight of the packets to which the hon. Member refers weighed more than two ounces each when tested in the Portsmouth Post Office soon after posting, and that all of those were surcharged. The contents of the packets are stated to have left the printer's hands only a short time before the packets were posted; and the packet in question no doubt lost weight, through the drying of the paper, while it was in the Post Office. A packet stated to be a facsimile of the one sent to Mr. Young has since been obtained and is found to weigh more than two ounces; and in these circumstances I do not see my way to returning the amount of the charge collected from Mr. Young.