e made up. This statement must, however,
have been based on general considerations and estimates. In the
following year the Secretary to the Post Office (Sir Arthur Blackwood)
told a Select Committee of the House of Commons that the Post Office had
not any return of the cost per million letters, or any return of that
kind by quantity, and that the Post Office could not give the actual
cost per million letters.[505]

The post, which was re-established in the interests of trade and could
only be used by traders, was continued until 1897, when the Jubilee
reductions brought down the postage on ordinary letters to the level of
the sample rate.

The sample post was never more than a very minor part of the Post Office
business. In 1865, when the total number of letters passing by post was
some 700 millions, the number of samples was one million. In 1870 the
number of samples was four millions. In 1896, the last year of its
existence as a special rate, the number of samples was nine millions. In
that year the number of letters, etc., was some 3,000 millions.

As a result of the increase of letter postage on the heavier letters,
as a war measure, it has been deemed necessary to re-establish the
inland sample post. On the 1st November 1915 the post was accordingly
re-established substantially as it existed prior to 1897. The rates of
postage are the same, and the regulations practically unaltered.

* * * * *

FRANCE

In France, by the decree of 17-22 August 1791 (Article 16), samples were
accorded a privileged rate of one-third letter postage, with the
reservation that in no case could the postage charged be less than that
on a single letter. In 1848, when a low uniform rate for letters was
adopted, it was thought that the privilege given to samples need not be
continued. The suppression of the special privileged rate was found
almost to exclude samples from the mails, and in 1856 they were again
given a privilege by the extension to them of the rates and conditions
applied to printed matter.[506] The limit of weight for samples was
fixed at 3 kilogrammes, and the limit of each dimension at 45
centimetres; but these limits were found to be too great. The post
became encumbered with large packets which it could not enclose in the
mails, and which, as a matter of fact, it had not the means of dealing
with. Consequently, in 1858 the limit of weight was reduced to 300
grammes, and the maximum