HC Deb 23 March 1907 vol 171 c1369
MR. HAROLD COX

To ask the Postmaster-General what is the time taken by the mail from London to Hong Kong via the Suez Canal as compared with the time taken via Canada; and what is approximately the weight of letters sent by the former route as compared with the latter.

(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) The time occupied in the transmission of mails to Japan and China by British services via Vancouver and via Suez is as follows—

Via Vancouver. Via Suez.
To Yokohama 23 days. 36 days.
To Shanghai 27 days. 31 days.
To Hong Kong 30 days. 27 days.

A longer period is occupied when the mails are despatched via Suez by other than British services. The weights of the mails sent by the two routes by all services during the year 1906 were as follows—

Via Vancouver. Via Suez.
187,100 lbs. 629,100 lbs.
MR. HAROLD COX

To ask the Postmaster-General what is the number of mail services per annum from this country to Hong Kong via the Suez Canal, and what is the number of mail services via Canada; and what is the net annual cost to the British taxpayer of the two sets of services respectively, after deducting receipts from postage.

(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) There are seventy-eight despatches of letter mails ner annum from this country to Hong Kong by British, French, and German packets, and thirteen via Canada. It is impossible, even in the case of the service by British packets, to separate the cost of the service to Hong Kong from the cost of the service generally, nor, if that could be done, would the deduction of postage receipts give a true indication of the net cost, since these receipts have to meet also the cost of the inland handling and conveyance of the correspondence, and, in the case of the Suez route, the cost of conveyance by special train across France and Italy.