IMPERIAL PENNY POST

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 149, 21 December 1923, Page 19

IMPERIAL PENNY POST

MR. KELLAWAY'S PLEA FOR BESTOBATION. In a letter published in English .papers, a few weeks ago,. Mr; -:t JjV G. Kellaway, late ; Postmaster-Genera), ''says:— ■ ;'. '. "I see it.-stated in this morning's ! papers that the Postmaster-General told the Imperial Economic Conference that it is impossible. at present to consider the restoration of penny postage. The Postmaster-General (Sir L. Worlhington^ Evans) did not distinguish between intend and Imperial penny postage—and m this he is right, for it was impossible to have an Imperial penny postage if we, had to pay three halfpence for inland letters. "But I am not convinced that the immediate restoration of inland and Imperial penny postage is impossible without a subsidy to.the postal services of the Post Office, which I presume is what Sir Laming meant. The letter postage, was reduced in June of last year, from twopence to three halfpence after a sharp tussle with the Treasury. In announcing- the reduction I told the- House, of Commons that I hoped, if I was privileged again to submit the Post Office estimates; to restore the penny letter. The succedineg estimates were submitted by my right hon. friend on 24th July last, He then stated that there had been a surplus on the postal services last year of nearly £6,000,000, and that, after making certain concessions, on parcel-post ra,tes, he estimated for a ntal surplus this year of £4,250,000. lo not know the exact estimate of what the immediate reduction of the postage to one penny would involve, but I cannot think, after allowance has been made for some expansion of traffic, that it would be more, than the, amount pf the estimated surplng. This is a. point op which the Postmaster-General will have figures which he will no doubt communicate to the Economic Conference. "The. real reason, I suggest, why the Postmaster-General thinks penny postage cannot be considered at the present, time is that the postal services have to carry the loss on the telegraph services, amounting this^year, ,as the PostmasterGeneral told the Hoiise of Commons to £1,350,000. It may in the public ipterest that the telegraph services should be subsidised, but I am not satisfied that it is in the public interest that we should be denied the immense boon pf the penny post in order to make up for the loss on the working of the Post Office telegraph Bervice. If njy right hon. friend could see his. way, whilst the Imperial Conference is assembled, to restore the Imperial penny po^t I believe he would make a gesture which the Dominions would find even more eloquent than the preference 7 on dried fruits." ' ■'