§ 2.39 p.m.
§ LORD MANCROFTMy Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have been successful in their efforts to reduce the number of under-stamped letters sent abroad.]
701§ THE POSTMASTER GENERAL (EARL DE LA WARR)My Lords, I am glad to be able to inform the noble Lord that the number of underpaid letters for Europe, where the problem is mainly concentrated, has fallen from some 60,000 a week two years ago to about 10,000 a week at the present time. This is a great improvement, but it is still not good enough. It stills means that over half a million letters a year are going abroad under-stamped. The Post Office have made prolonged efforts to bring the correct rate of 4d. to the notice of the public in a number of ways. I should, I think, be ungrateful if I did not make special mention of the help consistently given by the Press and the B.B.C., whose co-operation has made a valuable contribution towards the improvement I have been able to report to your Lordships. I need hardly say that their continued help will be extremely welcome. It is well realised that the collection of surcharges on underpaid letters is very annoying to their recipients, and your Lordships may rest assured that we shall not be satisfied until the difficulty has been reduced to negligible proportions.
§ LORD MANCROFTMy Lords, whilst thanking the noble Earl for that encouraging reply, may I ask him the following supplementary question? Would he consider making use of the additional paper supplies, which have recently become available for advertising purposes in the postage stamp books, to bring this information to the notice of the public?
§ EARL DE LA WARRI should not like to commit myself on a point like that, but I will certainly consider that proposal and any others that may be made.