§ MR. SEXTONI beg to ask the Postmaster General how many appointments have been made to the respective staffs, postal and telegraph, of the Belfast Post Office, upon the nomination of the local postmaster, during the year ending the 31st March ultimo, and how many vacancies exist upon these respective staffs at the present time; whether it is a fact that all vacancies as they arise are filled by the nominees of the local postmaster, to the exclusion of all other applicants, and whether there is any special reason why vacancies as they arise on the establishment of the Belfast Post Office in the future should not be thrown open to competition instead of being at present dependent upon the nomination of a local official; whether the arrangement by which nominations to vacancies on the staffs of provincial offices were confided to local postmasters was intended to apply in cases of offices of the standing of Belfast, or did it only refer to offices in provincial towns of lesser standing, upon the staff of which vacancies seldom arise and where it would be inconvenient or impossible to hold competitive examinations; whether he will consider the advisability of throwing open all existing and future vacancies as they arise upon the respective staffs of the Belfast Post Office to public competition; and if he can state under whose supervision the examination of the nominees of the Postmaster of Belfast to vacancies in the Belfast Post Office hitherto have been held?
§ *MR. RAIKESThe number of appointments made to the staff of the Belfast Post Office during the year ended the 31st of March last was five on the Postal and 15 on the Telegraph side respectively. At the present time there are 10 1261 vacancies—all on the telegraph side. At Belfast, as at other Provincial Post Offices, vacancies are filled, as a rule, on the nomination of the local postmaster. As regards the remaining points, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I made to a similar question on the 24th of April last. I will merely add that the Committee of 1854, on whose recommendation postmasters nominate to vacancies in their own offices, contemplated no exceptions.
§ MR. SEXTONIn what other towns are these nominations made by the Post Office Department?
§ *MR. RAIKESI may mention offhand, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, and Birmingham.