MR. W. BECKETT-DENISONasked the Postmaster General, If he would explain what is the reason of the issue of the circular from the Post Office (No. 10), dated the 18th inst. whereby fifty-four Telegraph Offices at stations on the North Eastern Railway have been suddenly closed to the public; whether the reason of twenty-two other offices at stations on the same Railway having, by the same circular, been reduced to offices for collection (i.e. despatch) only of messages from the public is that the Post Office declines to allow the Railway Company, sixpence for the first mile in the delivery of messages received at such stations, and requires them to deliver the messages free of charge within that limit; and, whether, in view of the great inconvenience that will be caused to the public by this action on the part of the Post Office, the Postmaster General will take measures to restore the status quo with regard, at any rate, to the last-named stations, as soon as possible?
§ LORD JOHN MANNERS,in reply, explained that in several instances the Post Office having incurred the expense of opening post offices in the immediate vicinity of those stations, deemed it inexpedient to retain the offices at the railway stations in question. Careful inquiries had, however, been made in the circumstances of each particular case before a decision in the matter had been arrived at. Twenty-two other offices at stations on the same line had been closed as regarded the delivery of messages, because the Post Office had been informed by the Railway Company that it was difficult to find messengers to deliver the telegrams.