HC Deb 01 December 1909 vol 13 cc504-5W
Mr. HENNIKER HEATON

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will give farther facilities to the managers of great newspaper establishments and great newspaper agencies for the posting of newspapers without affixing stamps but simply postmarking, as is done in several countries, under proper safeguards to protect the revenue; and whether he is aware that one agency sends 160 bags of mails every week to Canada, and that delay and expense are incurred through the time taken in affixing stamps while a simpler method exists of doing the work and saving the Government the expense of manufacturing stamps for these newspaper packets?

Mr. SYDNEY BUXTON

I regret that I do not see my way to extend the system of prepayment of postage in money to newspaper packets. It is not possible to carry out the necessary check unless the packets are brought to the Office a considerable time in advance of the ordinary hours of posting. Newspapers are usually posted by publishers a very short time before the despatch of mails. The convenience of newsagents and newspaper publishers is already met by allowing them to send stamped wrappers to be obliterated beforehand, and by accepting newspapers posted in these wrappers 30 minutes later than the advertised time of posting.