31. Mr. F. HALLasked the Postmaster-General, if, under the regulations of the Post Office, the sender of a money order can, on remitting a fee of 4d. to the office where the order is payable, cancel payment; if he is aware that this rule is taken advantage of by persons to obtain goods without payment; and if he will consider the advisability of making such an alteration as will prevent the regulation being used for the purpose of defrauding tradesmen and other persons sending goods to customers on an assurance that a money order has been forwarded for the same?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThe answer to the first part, of the question is in the affirmative, but if the order is an ordinary one and has not been paid at the time at which the stop notice is received it is at the option of the Postmaster-General whether or not he refunds the amount of the order to the remitter or pays it to the consignee notwithstanding the remitter's notice. The number of cases in which advantage is taken of stoppage of payment of either ordinary or deferred money orders for fraudulent purposes is small, and in respect of ordinary money orders extremely small. I am, however, considering a modification of the regulations which may have the effect of making the perpetration of any fraud still more difficult.