§ MR. CALLAN (for Mr. GRAY)asked the Postmaster General, with reference to the recent appointment of Telegraph Superintendent in Dublin by the transfer to Dublin of the Belfast Telegraph Superintendent, Whether the vacancy thus created in Belfast has been filled by the transfer to Belfast of the late superintendent of the Dublin Telegraph Department; and, if that is not the case, whether the vacancy in Belfast has been filled by the promotion of a Belfast clerk; whether, if it be contemplated to fill the Belfast vacancy by a promotion from the Belfast staff, the nett effect of the change will be to deprive, not by their own fault, the entire Dublin staff of four promotions; whether it is a fact that the assistant superintendent of telegraphs in Dublin has for a considerable period satisfactorily discharged the duties of superintendent, and is an officer of long service and of high character; whether, since it is regarded to be of importance that there should be transfers from office to office, and from one part of the kingdom to another, so that persons in the service of the Post Office in Ireland and Scotland should have an opportunity of being appointed to positions in England, and persons in England should have an opportunity of being transferred to Ireland, he could quote to the House any instances in which such transfers resulted in the promotion of Irish clerks to English or Scotch offices; whether it is a fact that whilst frequently transfers of this kind, involving the loss of promotion to the Dublin telegraph clerks, have been made from England and parts of Ireland to Dublin, or corresponding advantages have been obtained by the Dublin telegraph clerks in transfers to other parts of the kingdom; whether it is a fact that, by the interference with the regular system of promotion, the Dublin tele- 673 graph clerks have within the past year been deprived of no less than ten promotions, notwithstanding the fact that they have been thanked for the manner in which they performed their work; and, whether he will take any steps to secure that the transfer now referred to shall be effected in such a manner as not to deprive the staff of telegraph clerks in Dublin of their legitimate promotion, and to secure that in future such changes shall not militate against their legitimate claims?
§ MR. FAWCETTSir, both at Dublin and at Belfast there has been a recent change of Telegraph Superintendents. The Telegraph Superintendent at Belfast has been removed to Dublin, and the Telegraph Superintendent at Dublin has been removed to Belfast, though no longer in the capacity of Telegraph Superintendent. While officers at Belfast have gained promotion, those at Dublin have not lost any. The Assistant Superintendent at Dublin is an officer of long service and high character, and has discharged his duties satisfactorily; but I thought that on the whole the transfer of the Telegraph Superintendent from Belfast would most conduce to the interests of the Service. With regard to the question of promoting officers from Ireland to England, among other instances I may refer to the fact that two very important offices on the English establishment—namely, those of Provincial Surveyors—are now held by gentlemen who were originally in the Secretary's Office in Dublin. As regards the remainder of the hon. Member's inquiry, I am not aware that the Dublin Office has been unduly deprived of promotion.