§ Mr. JOHN ROBERTSONasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the fact that the Egyptian revenue for 1908 shows a surplus of £E1,113,631, he would recommend to the Egyptian Government the assimilation of the rates of postage upon letters from Egypt to this country with the rates on this side?
§ Sir E. GREYWithout in any way desiring to prejudice the merits of the object referred to, taken by itself, I must point out that the Egyptian Government has many claims to take into consideration, and must first form its own opinion as to how any surplus can best be used or allocated in the public interest, either to relieve existing burdens or to give new advantages.