§ MR. CREMER (Shoreditch, Haggerston)I beg to ask the Postmaster General whether he has received a Petition from the countermen of the Metropolitan Postal Districts which was transmitted to him through the Postmaster of the West Central District on the 13th of last month, asking him to favour a committee of their class with an interview; and whether, seeing that he recently granted a similar application to the telegraphists and sorters, he will accede to the request of the countermen?
§ MR. RAIKESIn reply to the hon Member, I have to state that I decided upon a Memorial from the countermen in October last, and hardly had I done so when they put in a further Memorial, and upon this I decided in February last. Notwithstanding this double decision, they have sought, in a Memorial to which the hon. Member refers, to reopen the question by a request for an 1798 interview. I have not yet had time to consult my official advisers whether I should grant an interview. I am always pleased to have an opportunity of discussing questions affecting any class of my officers with them. But the demands on my time are so great that I am not always able to afford myself this pleasure.