§ MR. BRUENasked the Postmaster General, Whether Hugh Doyle has recently been appointed Postmaster of Carlow; whether he is aware that the said Hugh Doyle was in April 1867 convicted in the Court of Common Pleas of bribery and corrupt practices at the previous Election for the Borough of Carlow, fined in the penalty of £50, and his name removed in consequence from the List of Electors of that Borough; whether he is of opinion that such an appointment is likely to be in any way beneficial to that department of the public service; whether it is not the rule or universal practice that Postmasterships, the salaries attached to which, amount to £100 a-year and upwards, are filled by the promotion of deserving and experienced clerks or other officers of the department, without interference of Treasury or Parliamentary influence; and, whether there is any reason for excepting that Post Office from the operation of the rule or practice above mentioned?
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONreplied that it was the ordinary, but not the invariable rule that the postmasterships worth above £100 a-year in Ireland were filled up in the manner described by the Question of the hon. Member. When the value of the postmasterships was about the limit of £100 per annum, it was a matter of consideration whether it should be given, according to the ordinary rule, by competitions, in the same manner as the larger postmasterships were obtained, by gentlemen already in the service of the Department, or whether it should be left to be filled up in the ordinary manner by the Treasury. In the present case, when the vacancy was expected, a strong representation was made to his predecessor in Office in favour of a gentleman who appeared to have had a remarkable claim to the appointment in question. After making inquiries he decided that the appointment in question was one which might very fairly, and without doing any injury to the public service or defeating the claim of any servant of the Department, be left to the disposal of the Treasury, and it was so left accordingly, with the intention that the gentleman to whom he had referred should obtain the situation. Afterwards, 1030 he was sorry to say, in consequence of the confusion incidental to the change of Office when the vacancy was officially reported, the recommendation of his predecessor in Office in favour of the peculiarly qualified person was overlooked, and Mr. Hugh Doyle was appointed. He believed that the facts stated in the hon. Member's Question were correct, and those circumstances having been brought to the knowledge of the Postmaster General, it was decided that Mr. Hugh Doyle was an unfit person to hold the office, and his appointment was cancelled accordingly.
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONsaid, he did not recollect the gentleman's name, but hoped that the hon. Member would become acquainted with it when he attained the appointment.