§ 64. Sir CHARLES OMANasked the Postmaster-General whether every picture postcard with a five-word message has to be read by a member of his staff to discover whether the message is purely congratulatory or conveys information; and, if so, seeing that an immense amount of public time is being wasted and paid for while officials are so employed to the detriment of their proper work, will he see that the practice of surcharging shall be discontinued?
§ Mr. KELLAWAYIf this Regulation were in fact so troublesome to carry out as the hon. Member suggests, I fear that I should have no option but to prohibit any words at all. But I am happy to assure him that the trouble given in applying this Regulation (which is not a new one, but dates at least from 1903) has in practice proved negligible.
§ Sir C. OMANIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that experiments are being made at the present time in sending their various forms of code messages and messages on the border between questions and statements, and that the result of the examination of them by those putting them through is that some are fined an extra penny and those who are not fined an extra penny are not divided from the other kind by any reasonable line? May I also point out—
§ Mr. SPEAKEROrder, order! This information ought to be given to the right hon. Gentleman in the Lobby.
§ Sir C. OMANIs there not an equally obvious way of putting an end to this trouble by abolishing the extra halfpenny on picture postcards?