§ Mr. JOYNSON-HICKSasked the Postmaster-General whether, having regard to the complete censorship which now exists, he would permit the already admitted codes to be used with the addition of printed five-letter ciphers, thus increasing commercial facilities?
§ Mr. J. A. PEASEIt is understood that the hon. Member refers to certain of the authorised codes which, since the War began, have been issued in the form of new editions containing five-letter groups as alternatives to the longer code-words contained in the previous editions. The question of permitting the use of the five-letter groups contained in these new editions has been carefully considered by the military authorities, but they are unable to agree to that course, mainly because they object on principle to the use under present circumstances of codes published since the outbreak of war. Some of the codes already authorised, which were, of course, published before the War, consist of five-letter groups, and it is, of course, open to the public to use these.