Mr. GORDON HARVEYasked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the perfect legibility of typewritten characters which is essential in code messages, he will consider the desirability of providing all issuing telegraph offices of a certain degree of importance, measured by the telegrams issued therefrom, with type-printing machines, the Hugnes or other similar machines, and offices of lesser importance with ordinary typewriters, so that all messages may be issued in typewritten form, as is the case in most parts of the Continent?
§ The ASSISTANT POSTMASTER-GENERAL (Captain Norton)The high first cost and maintenance charges of automatic printing telegraph instruments will 1033 always be a bar to their employment where the traffic is not large, but my right hon. Friend hopes to extend their use at the more important offices. Ordinary typewriters to be worked by the receiving telegraphist are being tried at some other places, but there are difficulties in the way of their general introduction, and, of course, where only a score or so of messages are dealt with in the day their use would not be economical.