§ 59. Colonel BALDWIN-WEBBasked the Postmaster-General whether he will be prepared to sanction the payment of the fee for the wireless licence by quarterly instalments in the case of persons registered as unemployed?
§ The ASSISTANT POSTMASTER-GENERAL (Sir Ernest Bennett)The objection to a general system of payment of wireless licence fees by quarterly instalments is that it would very greatly increase the cost of collection and accounting, which is already heavy. The suggested discrimination in favour of persons registered as unemployed, besides increasing the cost in the cases concerned, would lead to difficulties and anomalies in practice, and could not, I feel sure, be long maintained. My right hon. Friend therefore regrets that he is unable to make the desired concession. I would, however, remind my hon. and gallant Friend that the Post Office Savings Bank already affords facilities for accumulating 10s. in small instalments, and that a stamp Deposit Book system has recently been introduced to enable persons of limited means to save by sixpenny instalments.