§ Mr. CECIL WILSONasked the Postmaster-General (1) whether the figure of £250,000 by which the present cost of Press telegrams exceeds the revenue is greater or less than in 1913–14, and by how much;
(2) What classes of Press telegrams cause the greatest loss to the revenue;
(3) What are the main causes why the revenue from Press telegrams has fallen from £134,000 in 1920–21 to £83,000 in 1924–25?
§ Sir W. MITCHELL-THOMSONThe excess of cost over revenue in 1913–14 is estimated to have been approximately the same as the present excess. The greatest loss to revenue is caused by multiple Press telegrams, which are accepted at the rate of 3d. for each copy after the first.1316W The decline in Press traffic since 1920–21 is due in the main to the increasing use of the telephone and to the renting by the Press Association of private telegraph wires.