asked the Postmaster-General what amount of loss or gain would accrue to the Post Office revenue if a uniform rate of one penny was charged on all letters, whether closed or open, up to two ounces in weight?

Any estimate must necessarily be speculative, but the loss would probably be between £3,000,000 and £4,000,000 a year.

Would it not be of great advantage to the Empire if the Government would follow the example of Canada and extend penny postage to every part of the Empire?

That raises a much larger question than that contained in the question on the Paper.

Is the Assistant Postmaster-General aware that in the next six months many of us will have to answer the electors as to how we are going to justify the present state of things under which all the letters we have to write and nearly all we want to receive are charged 1½d. and the communications we do not want to receive, and usually do not read, are charged only ½d.? How are we going to justify this to the electors if a poor woman—

HON. MEMBERS:

Order!