§ MR. LENG (Dundee)I beg to ask the Postmaster General whether his attention has been called to the fact that on every voyage during the year 1889, as well as on her first voyage in 1890, the steamer City of Paris arrived at New York from 36 to 48 hours in advance of the mail-carrying steamer, which left Queenstown at the same time with her; and will he state why Her Majesty's mails are sent by the slower steamer instead of the faster?
§ MR. RAIKESAs the steamer City of Paris does not belong to either of the two companies contracting for the conveyance of Her Majesty's mails twice a week from Queenstown to New York, the Post Office does not take official cognisance of her performances, though I was aware that she was making excellent passages. It is, of course, not practicable to bring within the scope of the contract every fast Atlantic steamer that may be put upon the line by a rival company. But the public can always obtain the use of fast outside steamers by specially super-scribing their letters to go by such steamers, and this arrangement works very satisfactorily. Her Majesty's mails are conveyed by the Cunard and White Star Lines of steamers under contracts approved by Parliament in June, 1887.