§ 41. Mr. Boyd-Carpenterasked the Postmaster-General why a letter posted in Birmingham on 27th May, 1949, by Coronet Limited, addressed to R. S. Cappell, c/o Hotel Francia, Paris, was opened by his officers.
§ The Postmaster-General (Mr. Wilfred Paling)The letter was opened at the request of the customs authorities under the provisions of the Foreign Postal Packets (Customs) Warrant, 1948, Statutory Instrument, 1948, No. 562.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterCan the right hon. Gentleman say why this particular letter was selected for this privilege, in view of the fact that it contained nothing except two sheets of notepaper and a pin? Is it a fact that it was selected wholly fortuitiously, or is there any particular reasoning behind the choice of letters?
§ Mr. PalingAs the hon. Member knows, these foreign letters are opened for the purposes of exchange control; this was done under that authority.