§ Mr. AGG-GARDNERasked the Postmaster-General whether, in the interests of British residents in Italy, an endeavour will be made to induce the Italian Government to assimilate the postal rates for letters from Italy to the United Kingdom with those which prevail for letters sent from the United Kingdom to Italy, and in accordance with the arrangement entered into by the Postal Union?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELUnder the terms of the Postal Union Convention, any country is permitted to postpone wholly or in part the application of the general scale of international letter postage, namely 25 centimes for the first 20 grammes and 15 centimes for each subsequent 20 grammes, or fraction thereof. The action of the Italian Post Office in availing itself of this option and maintaining its present rate of postage on letters for other countries (25 centesimi for each 15 grammes or fraction of 15 grammes) is therefore a matter which is entirely within its own discretion, and in which I am not able to intervene.