§ Mr. HOHLERasked whether it is the Postmaster-General's intention to issue ½d. post cards and 1d. letter-cards to the public at the cost of the stamp; whether he will state how much this will cost the Post Office, and what advantage, monetary or otherwise, the Post Office will receive by the proposed gift of the cards to the public?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELIt is my intention to sell all letter-cards and thin post-cards at the face value of the stamps they bear. My object is not that the Post Office should derive a monetary advantage, but that its customers should be able to purchase letter-cards or post-cards singly 1868 or in small numbers without having to pay for them a price many times the cost of production. I cannot forecast with precision the loss of profit which will result from no longer exacting this payment, nor the direct expenditure, which must depend upon the number of cards that will be taken by the public, but I anticipate that they will be more than covered by the savings effected under the new stamp and stationery contracts. I would remind the hon. Member that the cost of the issue of post-cards at the face value of the stamps they bear has not been considered an undue burden on the Post Offices of other countries.