§ MR. LEAMYasked the Postmaster General, Whether his attention has been drawn to the grave inconvenience caused in the South of Ireland by the practice of making up at an early hour in the afternoon the Irish post-bags at Gloucester, Bristol, Newport, Swansea, and other towns on the Great Western Railway, although those bags are only sent on by the night mail train from London; whether he is aware that letters posted at the above-named towns (for places in the South of Ireland) during the latter part of the afternoon and also during the evening are not sent on direct to their destination, but are first despatched to London and afterwards to Ireland, causing a delay of about twenty-four hours in delivery; and, whether he will direct the Postmasters along the line from Gloucester to Milford to make up at a late hour of the evening a bag contain- 433 ing letters from those towns for places in the South of Ireland?
§ MR. FAWCETTSir, I think the hon. Member for Waterford is under some misapprehension in supposing that all letters posted for Ireland in Gloucester, Bristol, and other towns in that district, are sent by way of London. The mail train starts from Bristol at 7 p.m., and from Gloucester at 8.20, taking the route by way of Birmingham, Stafford, and Holyhead. Letters may be posted up to a short time before the despatch from each town. From Newport the despatch is at 6.30 p.m., and from Swansea at about 4 p.m., to Ireland generally. Letters posted after those hours for Waterford and a few neighbouring towns in the South of Ireland are sent by way of Milford. The correspondence, however, for which the Milford route is available is very small; and the arrangements which have lately been made will, it is thought, meet all necessary requirements.