§ Mr. WILESasked the Postmaster-General whether any special arrangements are being made with regard to postal facilities at Christmas for the Expeditionary Force?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEI have recently had under consideration the special arrangements which will be necessary in regard to correspondence for the British Expeditionary Force during the Christmas season. I am informed by the military authorities that in view of the limited amount of transport that can be carried by the roads and the necessity of giving preference to the conveyance of stores, ammunition, etc., it will only be practicable to accept a moderate addition to the volume of mails at present conveyed. I propose therefore, at the suggestion of the Army authorities, to fix the maximum weight of a single parcel which may be sent to the troops during the Christmas season at 7 lbs. instead of 11 lbs.; and I trust that in the interests of the troops themselves, whose postal facilities would otherwise be seriously interfered with, the public will restrict their use of the parcel post to articles of real utility. It will be necessary to exclude from the mails perishable goods and such fragile articles as bottles, pudding basins and the like. Letters and parcels should be posted as early as possible for delivery on or before Christmas Day; letters should in any case be posted not later than the 14th December and parcels not later than the 12th December. Postcards and letters containing only Christmas cards will be subject to delay. I would also draw attention to the necessity of addressing all letters and 1331W parcels fully and completely. Detailed information on this point will be given at any post office.