MR. KENNARDasked the Postmaster General, Whether the Commission of Inquiry on the Post Office Savings Banks in 1875 condemned systematic extra work as prejudicial to the health of the clerks, and opposed to the true interests of the Department; whether the extra work performed in the office has steadily increased from 100,000 hours in 1874 to 190,000 hours in 1882; whether the office is still kept open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and whether the Postmaster General will state his reasons for so long restricting the staff to a number far below the requirements of the Department; whether the building in Queen Victoria Street has proved totally inadequate in point of size, and whether portions of the male staff have been removed to other premises in order to make room for additional female clerks; whether more than 200 female clerks have been appointed to the Savings Banks Department since 1875, and whether the Postmaster General will restore the relative proportions of the upper and lower classes as recommended by the Commission of 1875, seeing that the neglect of this recommendation has destroyed all flow of promotion among the male staff; and, whether it is true that the Postmaster's Accounts for January 1882 were not checked by the books of the Department till August last; whether those of June last were only commenced to be checked in December last; whether they are yet completed; and whether, in consequence of this irregularity, a fraud of considerable magnitude might not have remained undiscovered for a lengthened period?
§ MR. FAWCETTSir, the hon. Member asks me ten Questions in one. I will endoavour to answer them as briefly as I can. Within the last two or three years the number of depositors in the Post Office Savings' Bank has increased by more than 400,000 a-year, and the annual addition to the aggregate deposits has increased by more than £3,000,000. I think it will be obvious to the House that it would have been impossible to have provided for so remarkable an increase of business without a considerable amount of overtime. It was necessary, for instance, to ascertain whether this large and sudden 1605 growth of business was only temporary, or whether it was likely to continue. Care will continue to be taken to prevent the amount of overtime from being unduly large, and with this object as many additional clerks were appointed as room could be found for. The new premises in Queen Victoria Street, although they have been opened little more than two years—and it was then thought they would provide ample accommodation—have been found too small. As my right hon. Friend the First Commissioner of Works (Mr. Shaw Lefevre) stated the other day, the difficulties which prevented the acquisition of fresh accommodation have now been removed, and the now premises will be ready for occupation next month. The number of superior appointments is regulated by the requirements of the service. Although I think the House would not wish me to trouble them with unnecessary details, I may state that in the last two years the number of principal clerks has been increased in the male branch from three to eight, and in the female branch by two. I believe that great advantage has resulted from the employment of female clerks, and the number employed in the Savings Bank has been increased within the last two years by 91. As the hon. Member suggests the possibility of fraud, I can, in conclusion, assure him that there has been no fraud, and that, in my opinion, the method of keeping the accounts of the Savings Bank is entirely satisfactory.