§ MR. STACPOOLEsaid, he would beg to ask the Postmaster General, If the Post Office will undertake or does undertake to deliver Telegrams from London in Dublin in a reasonable time; if he considers ten or twelve hours a reasonable time for the transmission of a telegraphic message of under twenty words from London to Dublin; if the Post Office will return money paid for messages from London to Dublin not delivered in reasonable time; and, if a petition of right or other proceeding lies against the Post Office for loss or injury incurred by the non-delivery or late delivery of a Post Office Telegram?
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONsaid, in reply, that as his hon. Friend had given notice of a Motion attacking the telegraph communication between Dublin and London he (the Marquess of Hartington) was afraid his hon. Friend was endeavouring to elicit information to be used against that Department, and therefore he hoped the hon. Gentleman would excuse him if he answered the Question with some degree of caution. The Post Office only undertook to deliver messages entrusted to them in the shortest possible time required for that purpose; but he did not consider 10 or 12 hours a reasonable time for the transmission of a telegram between London and Dublin. When the communication was seriously interrupted by the breakage of 786 a cable the authorities took every means of giving notice of the fact to the public by exhibiting a notice to that effect at all the principal offices, so as to warn the public of such delay, and to intimate to them the comparative uselessness of telegraphing under such circumstances. If the public then persisted in telegraphing the Post Office authorities did not consider it necessary to return the money paid for the transmission of messages; but if an unreasonable time occurred in the delivery of messages without notice being given, then the Post Office considered it right to return the money. With reference to the last part of the hon. Gentleman's Question, he was certainly not ready to admit that the Post Office was liable in any way for every loss or injury incurred through the Department's misdoing; but if the hon. Gentleman entertained any doubt on the matter, he would recommend him to obtain a legal opinion upon the point.