Lord A PSLEYasked the Postmaster-General whether the charges made against foreign postal administrations on account of their air mails carried on British air-mail routes are based on the gold franc; if so, what has been the increase of Post Office revenue from such sources since the suspension of the Gold Standard; and whether any arrangements have been made to allocate part of such increased profits to the assistance of such British air-mail routes?
§ Sir K. WOODThe reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative; as regards the second part, the surplus collected by the Post Office is estimated at about £16,000 a year. This sum has beeen utilised to cover the loss on the conveyance of British mails by Imperial and foreign air services and has enabled the Post Office to avoid increasing the rates charged for air correspondence posted in this country.