§ MR. T. M. HEALY (Longford, N.)asked the Postmaster General, Whether vacancies in the Sorting Office, General Post Office, Dublin, are usually filled by selection from a class of messengers attached to the Dublin Office; whether boys who are taken into the sorting office during the Christmas pressure are kept on and finally appointed; whether these boys are relatives or friends of the superintendents and overseers of the sorting office; and, whether he will see see that the vacancies are given to the messengers or thrown open for public competition?
§ THE POSTMASTER GENERAL (Mr. RAIKES) (Cambridge University)in reply, said, the boy sorters in the General Post Office, Dublin, were not chosen exclusively from the messengers. Of the 27 appointments made within the last two years 13 were from the class of messengers. A few of the boys taken on during the Christmas pressure had been retained after the pressure had ceased. They had been appointed to vacancies among the sorters. Only one of the boys was a relative of an employé in the Post Office. The boy was a son of one of the sorters. He was not aware that any of the others had been appointed on account of friendship. Vacancies were filled up in certain proportions from the messengers. He did 1367 not intend to interfere with the present system.