§ Sir HILDRED CARLILEasked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the Eastern Telegraph Company and the Eastern Extension (Australasia) Company only accept Press correspondence from duly authorised representatives, and decline to accept at Press rates prepaid messages handed in and intended solely for publication in the columns of the Far East newspapers; and seeing that the British Post Office will accept at Press rates from any member of the public prepaid messages handed In which are obviously intended for publication in the newspapers, will he state the reason for this 2513 difference in policy between the practice at home and the practice of the cable companies referred to; and, seeing that this regulation is calculated to be a bar to the diffusion of intelligence which is of value to the community, whether he will make representations to the cable companies for an alteration in their regulations?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELI am aware of the practice to which the hon. Member refers. It is in conformity with the regulations of the International Telegraph Convention, which require that foreign Press telegrams shall only be accepted on presentation of a special form of authority to identify the sender as the accredited correspondent of the newspaper to which the telegram is addressed, or subject to some other means of control. The regulation is regarded as being necessary to prevent the abuse of the reduced rates allowed in the case of Press telegrams to places abroad, as it is often impossible to tell by inspection whether a telegram is a Press telegram or a private telegram. In the Inland service the circumstances are different. It is comparatively easy to determine whether the messages comply with the conditions under which they are accepted for transmission at the Inland Press rate. I do not see my way to make representations to the cable companies on the subject.