§ Sir PHILIP SASSOONasked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been drawn to the handicap imposed on traders in Great Britain through the refusal of the Post Office to accept urgent messages to China, and to the advantages traders in France enjoy by this accelerated service, which enables them to obtain a reply from China within five days or ten days less than a reply can be received to a message dispatched from Great Britain; and whether he will give instructions that this handicap shall be promptly removed?
§ Mr. ILLINGWORTHI am taking steps to secure that telegrams from France to China shall not obtain a preference in transmission over telegrams from this2280W country. In view of the present congestion upon the cables, the establishment of an urgent service from the United Kingdom would increase the delay upon all traffic not charged at the urgent rate, and the delay upon the urgent traffic would still be considerable.