HC Deb 17 July 1884 vol 290 cc1391-4
MR. SEXTON

asked the Postmaster General, If he has considered the Memorial, for acceleration of the Irish Western Mail Service, addressed to him, under date the 1st October last, by inhabitants of the town and county of Sligo; whether, especially regarding the Day Mail Service, he has noted the facts that the Mail Train leaving Dublin at 9 a.m. does not reach Sligo, 134 miles distant, until 2.40 p.m., the service being thus at the rate of only 23 miles an hour, and that the Mail leaving Sligo at 11 a.m. does not reach Dublin till 4.55 p.m., the service in this case being only 22 miles an hour; whether he has considered the statement of the Memorialists that letters delivered in Sligo in the morning cannot be replied to by the Day Mail, as the boxes close at 10.20 a.m., and that letters reaching there by the Day Mail, and not delivered till nearly 5 o'clock, cannot usually be answered that evening with convenience, as the boxes close at 7.40; whether he will endeavour to meet the desire of the Memorialists that this state of things should be altered by timing the Day Mail from Dublin to start at 8.30 and reach Sligo about 12, and the Day Mail from Sligo to leave at 1.30 p.m. and reach Dublin, as at present, at 4.55 p.m.; whether the Midland Great Western Railway Company have stated their readiness to run Mail Trains at 40 miles an hour if adequately paid; whether it is the fact, as affirmed by the Chairman of the Midland Railway Company, that the Great Northern Company is paid £73 per mile per annum for Mail Service, the Great Southern £70, the Dublin and Wicklow £62, and the Midland only £41; and, whether the Department now propose to offer better terms to the Midland Company?

MR. FAWCETT

Since the arrangements for the acceleration of the mail service between London and Dublin, which took effect on the 1st instant, were finally settled, the attention of the Department has been given to improving the provincial services in Ireland; but I am unable to say at present what improvement will be practicable in the case of the Sligo day mail. I can assure the hon. Member that the points referred to in his Question shall be carefully considered. The degree of acceleration that may be found practicable must depend upon many considerations, which vary with almost every district. The question of remuneration to the Railway Company is one of these; but I may remark that no comparison obtained by a reduction of annual payments to mileage rates can show whether a Railway Company is adequately remunerated or not, as the payments to Rail- way Companies vary according to the number of trains used and the amount of correspondence carried.

MR. SEXTON

Can the right hon. Gentleman give the concrete result of his consideration of the subject before the Post Office Estimates come on?

MR. FAWCETT

I will if I possibly can.

MR. VILLIERS STUART

asked the Postmaster General, Whether the mails between Dublin and Cork will be accelerated by means of special fast trains leaving Dublin daily at 8 a.m. and Cork at 1.45 p.m.; whether, in order to give Waterford the benefit of this acceleration, he will cause the mails for Waterford to be dropped at Maryborough, and conveyed thence by the Waterford and Central Ireland Railway to that city, arriving at 11.30 a.m.; and, whether he will arrange that the up mails shall be sent forward through Maryborough by the up train leaving Waterford at 2.30 p.m., and reaching Maryborough at 4.30 p.m., and Dublin at 6 p.m., thus enabling merchants there to answer their morning letters, on the day of receipt, by return mail?

MR. HARRINGTON

Perhaps the right hon. Gentleman would be able to inform the House also whether he can comply with the request in reference to Kerry?

MR. O'DONNELL

asked the Postmaster General, If he has considered the proposals of the Waterford and Central Ireland Railway, with a view to accelerating the mail service between Waterford and Dublin, in connection with the acceleration of the service between Cork and Dublin; and, if he can give any assurance that this important reform will be shortly carried out?

MR. FAWCETT

I may state that various proposals have lately been laid before the Department with the object of accelerating the day mails to Waterford along with the acceleration of the day mail to Cork, which, as I have already stated, I hope will come into operation on the 1st October next. Whether it would be better to adopt the route suggested by my hon. Friend or maintain the route through Kildare and Carlow will require careful consideration. Many complicated circumstances are involved. I should not like to give a positive answer without more consideration, because there are many questions of the towns on the route to be considered. The offer referred to by the hon. Member for Dungarvan (Mr. O'Donnell) from the Central Railway Company has been received two days ago, and is now being considered. With regard to acceleration to Tralee, I hope some acceleration will be possible; but I cannot give an undertaking at the present moment.