§ Mr. GODFREY COLLINSasked the Postmaster-General if he can state the 1641W actual loss incurred by the Post Office through Press telegrams either since 1872 or for the last ten years?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThe loss incurred by the Post Office through Press telegrams for each of the two years 1907–1908 and 1908–1909 was estimated to have been about £205,000. I have no trustworthy figures for any other year, but I am having a statement prepared to show the present loss.
§ Mr. GODFREY COLLINSasked the Postmaster-General the average number of words in Press telegrams for 1912 or any previous year; and if he can say the number of Press telegrams which were sent last year or any previous year at the rate of 2d. per 75 or 100 words?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELAs I have advised ray hon. Friend, the information given in my answer to his question of 15th May was based on calculations which seem open to question and was so far untrustworthy. I am sorry that I have no figures giving the information required; and I find that it would be costly to obtain them. The length of a Press message varies within wide limits from many thousands of words in the report of a speech to a single word on the result of a race; and the average length would have little pertinence.