§ MR. COWAN (Surrey, Guildford)To ask the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been called to the regulation under which the Post Office retains all moneys paid in respect of unused reply-paid telegram forms when application for the return of such amounts is not made by the sender within two months of the date of issue of such forms; whether he can state how many of these forms have been cancelled, and what is the amount of private property which has been confiscated under this regulation since it came into operation; and whether he will consider the Amendment of the regulation with a view to enabling the public to receive value for, or to recover at any time, moneys paid to the Post Office in respect of services which it at present refuses, after an arbitrarily fixed date, to render.
(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) My attention has been called to the regulation to which the hon. Member refers, and the question of amending it with the object suggested has been frequently considered. It has not, however, been found possible to devise a system which would place a check upon fraud without at the same time involving expenditure out of proportion to the inconvenience which it is desired to remove. But I am making further inquiry into the question. I have at present no information as to the number of reply-paid forms which have remained unused, and of which the value has not been recovered within the prescribed period.