§ MR. M'LARENsaid, that the Lords of the Treasury in 1850, on the recommendation of the Commissioners appointed by their Lordships to consider the question of Sunday labour in the Post Office, communicated to the Postmaster General the following regulation for his guidance:—
That, in retaining a Sunday delivery of letters in a rural district, the Postmaster General be guided by the prevalent feeling of the locality; and that where the prevalent feeling of the district is opposed to such delivery, the Postmaster General, after satisfying himself of the fact, take the requisite steps for suspending it.2166 He complained that the Postmaster General had in effect violated this regulation by insisting upon a majority of six-sevenths of the householders being obtained in each case against the Sunday delivery. In his opinion a majority of two-thirds would be quite sufficient. He trusted that the Treasury would make inquiry as to this non-observance of their own regulations, and ascertain whether it was the fault of the subordinate local officers or of the high authorities in London.
§ MR. SCLATER-BOOTHsaid, he would inquire whether the Treasury regulations had been in any degree departed from. The matter could not be authoritatively decided except by the officials responsible for carrying out the regulations of the service. He doubted whether a majority of two-thirds of the householders ought to prevent the delivery of Sunday letters; because they might be persons who never received letters, and they would debar those who might have important correspondence to conduct from receiving a due share of the facilities offered by this very efficiently managed service. Such a rule would cause great inconvenience, and would lead to a strong expression of discontent against the suspension of Sunday letters at all. The rule that six-sevenths of the householders should unite in a memorial against Sunday delivery had, he believed, worked well; but he would inquire whether the present regulation was in conformity with the spirit of the direction laid down by the Treasury, and also as to the mode in which it was carried out.