§ MR. SEXTONI beg to ask the Postmaster General to what decision he has come upon the Memorial addressed to him about 15 months ago by the postmen of Belfast, praying to be placed on an equal footing with the postmen of other great commercial cities in regard to rate of pay and remuneration for overtime and Sunday work; and whether he is aware that the summer uniforms of the postmen in Belfast are not distributed until summer is half over, and that the winter uniforms are delayed to a similar extent?
§ MR. SCHWANN (Manchester, N.)I also beg to ask the Postmaster General whether he is now in a position to give a reply to the claims as to increased pay and grievances of the postmen, submitted by Memorials many months ago, seeing that other branches of employés in the Postal Service have had their scale of pay revised some 12 months ago, and he is understood to have reported favourably, as to the claims of the postmen, to the Treasury?
§ *MR. RAIKESIt will be convenient, I think, to include in one reply the answer to the questions of the hon. Member for West Belfast and of the hon. Member for North Manchester (Mr. Schwann). My answer of the 9th instant to the question of the hon. Member for the West Derby Division of Liverpool, when I rather fully entered into the subject, leaves me nothing to add on this occasion, and I am still waiting for the decision of the Treasury. As regards the question of the supply of uniforms to postmen in Belfast, I regret to say that the delay in distributing them is due to the failure of the Irish contractors to supply the uniforms within the time stipulated by the contract, and 793 the question arises whether it will not be necessary to place the contract in other hands.