_The Postmaster-General._ The explanation of that is this: The total number issued was limited to the schedule mentioned in the answer that I gave to Parliament. By a mistake a larger quantity was delivered to the department, and before it was discovered the department had distributed a larger quantity than was mentioned in the schedule.[140] They discovered it when the mail had gone out, and at once recalled the over-issue. Of course they were at once destroyed, so as to keep the amount within the figure named by Parliament. _Mr. Ingram._ Then it was not through stamps being unfit? _The Postmaster-General._ I do not know how it is worded there; "Unfit for use" is not a proper description. There was not one stamp in excess of the limit stated in Parliament that got into the hands of the public. There was that little error I speak of, but it was detected at once and corrected, and of course the extra amount was at once destroyed--I suppose by the Auditor-General and by Mr. Stanton of the stamp department. [138] See page 148. [139] =Monthly Journal=, VIII: 230. [140] The stamp accounts show that 223,600 8 cent stamps had been "issued to postmasters" previous to 30th June, 1897. Well, perhaps the excess did not reach the public, but the stamp accounts exhibit a peculiar coincidence in connection therewith. The tables of receipt and issue of stamp supplies for 1897, as already stated, contain the memos of the return of 40,000 8 cent stamps, by postmasters, and their destruction. The tables for 1898 contain two columns, one of stamps returned by postmasters, "unfit for use", and the other "fit for use". The former were supposed to be destroyed, the latter placed in stock again. Now note: the values from 1/2 cent to 50 cents inclusive, "fit for use", were returned in quantities varying from 200 to 250 copies, with two exceptions; the dollar values in quantities from 400 to 675. The two exceptions were the 6 cent at 1,148 copies, _and the 8 cent at 42,300 copies_!! This last figure looks so familiar that we cannot help wondering whether a second call had been sent out for the return of 40,000 _more_ of the 8 cent, subsequent to the closing of the 1897 accounts, or if (which seems more probable) the first return had not been slipped into stock instead of being actually destroyed, and reappeared thus in the 1898 accounts! _Quien sabe?_ All the other values to and including the 2 dollars, were received in their proper amounts and were all issued to postmasters, the last record of the series from 1/2 cent to 1 dollar, inclusive, appearing in the 1900 Report. The figures for the dollar values prove rather interesting so we give them here:--