97. Colonel BURNasked the Postmaster-General in view of the deficit in the postal service as a whole, what part of the deficit is on account of the loss on press telegrams; and the amount of the receipts and the proportional expenditure under that heading?
§ The POSTMASTER-GENERAL (Mr. Illingworth)The Revenue from press telegrams is estimated to amount to £125,000 a year. Expenditure cannot be apportioned with exactitude between press and ordinary inland telegrams, but I have no doubt the estimated pre-War loss of £200,000 per annum on press telegrams is considerably exceeded, though the rates were increased on 1st January last.