§ MAJOR ROSS (Maidstone)asked the Postmaster General, Whether, in consideration of the Jubilee year, he will grant additional stripes to those letter carriers who have served beyond the term for which such stripes are now given, the additional stripes to carry no increase of pay; and, whether any proportionate increase has been made in the first class letter carriers, consequent on the larger number of letter carriers now employed; and, if not, whether the Treasury have refused to make a larger grant of money to enable such increase to be made?
§ THE POSTMASTER GENERAL (Mr. RAIKES) (Cambridge University)In reply to the hon. and gallant Member, I have to state that it appears to me extremely doubtful whether additional good conduct stripes, carrying no additional pay, would be valued. In 1882, Mr. Fawcett proposed that the good conduct stripes should be unlimited in number, so that every postman, if only he had conducted himself well, might receive one, two, or three stripes as soon as he had served the prescribed periods. To this, however, the Treasury refused to assent. I am glad to say that a system has already come into operation under which, where the number of post- 1733 men has been increased, the number of good conduct stripes is brought up to the same proportion.