§ 11. Mr. BUTCHERasked the hon. Member for St. George's-in-the-East whether his attention has been called to the circular 37 (b) A. G. D. issued by the National Health Insurance Commission (England), which directs that parcels of stamped cards which cannot be sent by post must be sent by goods train and on no account be sent by passenger train; whether, in view of the fact that parcels of cards coming from the larger approved societies sometimes contain as much as £1,000 worth or more of stamps and are too large to be sent by parcel post, it is a safe or proper course to send such valuable parcels by goods train; whether he can state on whom the loss would fall in the event of such parcels being, through no act or default of the sender, lost or damaged in transmission; whether he will consider the desirability of directing that parcels of stamped cards may be delivered at the nearest post office and, in 565 the case of their being so delivered, of imposing on the Post Office authorities the duty of transmitting the same to London; and whether he will consider some other and better mode than exists at present of transmitting these parcels of cards to London, and give orders or make recommendations to the Commissioners accordingly?
Mr. BENNThe instructions to which the hon. and learned Member refers have been in force since December, 1912. Since that date millions of cards have been dispatched to the Insurance Commission by goods train without a single parcel being lost. There appears, therefore, to be no reason for revising the existing arrangements.
§ Mr. BUTCHERWill the hon. Gentleman answer that part of the question which asks on whom the loss would fall in the event of such parcels being, through no act or default of the sender, lost or damaged in transmission?
Mr. BENNIt would be impossible to answer a hypothetical question of that kind. If such circumstances arise, then it would be possible to answer it.