asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will arrange to have bulk lots of £100 worth and over of twopence-halfpenny stamps allotted to firms requiring them for perforation purposes, and so prevent the necessity for duplication of the process incurred by the supply in such cases of twopenny and halfpenny stamps separately.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Supply of Stamps.
The supplies, of 2½d. postage stamps at present available are not sufficient to meet the additional demands resulting from the recent increase in the letter postage rate. As it is essential in present conditions to conserve existing stocks of water-marked paper as far as possible, I would not be justified in requisitioning further supplies of 2½d. stamps so long as the large stocks of the ½d. and 2d. denominations already on hands remain unexhausted. I regret in the circumstances that it is not practicable to arrange as the Deputy suggests.
Are you not wasting two stamps for one now?
But they are already in print. It is necessary to conserve the existing stocks of water-marked paper as much as possible.
But you will be wanting these stamps.
Can the Minister not see his way to use these 2d. and ½d. stamps in the ordinary distribution of stamps through the post offices rather than to insist on a firm having to go through the process I have mentioned?
Do as they do in an Act of Parliament: deem the 2d. stamps to be 2½d. stamps.
How many 2½d. stamps have you?
That is a separate question.
Are you not losing more on this?
There is a question of the water-marked paper. We have large stocks of the 2d. stamps, and we want to use them until such times as we may be able to get the water-marked paper.
This job of perforating stamps for any big firm is a very tedious one, and the method the Minister is adopting involves double work for these firms—work which, very often, is done under contract.