§ Mr. HANNONasked the Postmaster-General whether he is in a position to state the value of the export trade done by parcels post during the year ended 31st December, 1922, by this country, the United States, and France; and whether, seeing that this country is left more unfavourably situated in this respect than the other two countries named by reason of the unreliability of the parcels post service and the consequent high insurance premiums, his Department has under consideration any means by which this disability may be removed and a new business thereby created?
§ Sir L. WORTHINGTON-EVANSNo record is kept either by the Post Office or the Customs of the value of the goods exported from this country by parcel post; but for the purpose of their returns the Customs take £2 as the average value of each outward foreign or Colonial parcel. The value, of the goods exported from this country by parcel post during the year ended 31st December, 1922, was on that basis approximately £9,500,000. I regret that I have no particulars of the value of the goods sent by parcel post from France and the United States of America. The total number of parcels despatched abroad during 1922, exclusive of parcels from abroad passing in transit through this country, was about 4,750,000 and the number of parcels despatched during 1921 from—
No particulars are available of the parcels despatched from France. Such 713W evidence as is available indicates that the number of cases in which compensation for parcels has to be paid by the Post Office is less in our own service than in foreign countries. I am not aware that the British Parcel Services are less reliable than those of France and the United States.
Great Britain … 4,496,600 United States of America … 4,769,301 Germany … 10,909,060