Note 626 — VII AN ANALYSIS OF COST

In this number 35.5 million undelivered packets and 124.5 million redirected packets are included twice. The service performed in respect of both these classes of packet is, however, at least twice as great as that performed in respect of an ordinary packet; and as it is desired to estimate the cost of the normal service, no adjustment of the numbers is made on this account.

The total number actually delivered was 3,477,800,000, but of these, 162.3 millions were foreign and colonial letters. As the number of foreign and colonial letters despatched (184.3 millions) exceeds the number received, and a foreign or colonial letter received plus a foreign or colonial letter delivered may be taken as equivalent to an inland letter fully dealt with, the number delivered in the United Kingdom has been adjusted by adding half the difference between the number of foreign and colonial letters despatched and received respectively.