§ MR. SEXTON (Belfast, W.)I beg to ask the Postmaster General what is the annual sum now paid for mail service to the Great Southern and Western Railway Company of Ireland, and for what additional sum were the Company willing to afford the improved service desired by the Post Office; and whether the Treasury were willing to pay any, and, if so, what, additional sum for the improved service?
§ Mr. P. O'BRIEN had notice to ask the Postmaster General whether he has received communications from the Cork Chamber of Commerce urging the desirability of an acceleration in the transatlantic and local mail service, and suggesting means by which it 851 could be accomplished; and whether he has decided to take any, and, if so, what, steps in the matter?
§ Mr. MAURICE HEALY (Cork)had notice to ask the Postmaster General whether he is aware that for commercial purposes there is only one mail in the day between Cork and London, as letters leaving Cork by the night mail are delivered the next day after business hours, and do not therefore reach the persons to whom they are addressed until the morning after their delivery; and whether the Post Office propose to take any steps to so improve the morning service as to increase the interval between the arrival and despatch of the day mails?
§ Mr. MAURICE HEALYhad notice to ask the Postmaster General if he can state the extra cost involved in the recent improvements of the English mail system to Belfast and Londonderry, including the Stranraer route; whether the Treasury made any objections to this additional expense; and whether any reason exists why the Cork mail service should be dealt with less favourably than that to the North of Ireland, especially in view of the importance of the American mails?
§ Mr. MAURICE HEALYhad notice to ask the Postmaster General whether he can state the amounts of the payments made to the Great Northern and Great Southern and Western Railways of Ireland respectively for the mail services between Dublin and Belfast and Dublin and Cork, including in the latter the American mail service?
§ Mr. MAURICE HEALYhad notice to ask the Postmaster General whether any improvement of the mail service to Cork is now under consideration; and whether the Post Office Department have abandoned all intention of coming to terms with the Great Southern and Western Railway Company for an improved service of mail trains?
§ Dr. TANNERhad notice to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he would state what is the annual sum paid for the alternative, or supplementary, mail service to and from the North of Ireland viâ Stranraer and Larne?
§ Dr. TANNERhad notice to ask the Postmaster General if he would state what is the total annual sum paid to Railway Companies in England, Scotland, and Ireland, respectively, for the carriage of mails?
§ Dr. TANNERhad notice to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the annual sum paid to the Great Northern Railway Company before the recent acceleration of the mail service on their line of railway, and what was the additional sum granted for the improved service?
§ * SIR J. FERGUSSONI should like at the same time to answer Questions 10, 64, 66, 67, 68, 77, 78, and 80. They are nearly identical and on the same subject.
§ MR. SEXTONOn a point of order. I have put this question to the right hon. Gentleman. I ask you if it is not in accordance with the Rules of the House that he should answer it at once?
§ MR. SPEAKERThe right hon. Gentleman proposes to answer the hon. Gentleman, but he thought he might answer a number of other questions at the same time.
§ * SIR J. FERGUSSONThe hon. Gentleman will see that I shall fully answer his question. I received communications and also a deputation of representatives of Cork and of the Great Southern and Western Railway Company of Ireland in support of these proposals. That Company was prepared, for an additional payment of £3,000 a year, to afford the improved service desired. That sum, I was advised, was reasonable and moderate in amount. In view, however, of the large increase of Post Office expenditure, it has not been thought proper to incur this and other items of additional expenditure for improved services; and the scheme is for the present, therefore, rejected. It is true, as stated by the hon. Member for Cork, that the night mail letters arriving in London from Cork, though delivered on the next evening, are not delivered till after business hours. No doubt, had the proposed acceleration of the morning mail from Dublin to Cork been adopted, the interval between its arrival and the despatch of the return day mail would have been increased. In the year 1891 853 the total payments for mail services to the Great Northern Railway Company of Ireland was £41,341, and to the Great Southern and Western £40,781. It cannot be stated what parts of these sums were paid respectively for purely local services and otherwise. The additional cost involved in the recent improvement of the English mail service to Belfast and Londonderry was £18,500 a year—namely, for the Stranraer route £13,500, and for the accelerated train service £5,000. The arrangement was, of course, made with the sanction of the Treasury. The correspondence passing to and from the North of Ireland is much larger in amount than that to and from the South. The total sums paid to English, Scotch, and Irish Railways for the conveyance of mails are £599,930, £203,750, and £157,190 respectively.
§ MR. SEXTONThe right hon. Gentleman has answered only one out of the three inquiries in my question. He said the Company offered for £3,000 to give an improved service; he has not said what sum is now paid and what the Treasury are prepared to give.
§ * SIR J. FERGUSSONI said that the sum now paid was £40,781, and I also stated that Her Majesty's Government did not think proper to expend the sum of £3,000 required, which is one of a large number of sums which it might be very judicious to expend, but the Treasury would not sanction that additional amount.
§ MR. SEXTONWere they willing to give any part of that sum?
§ * SIR J. FERGUSSONThe additional service required a particular sum, which is moderate, and we did not attempt to cut it down. The whole proposal stood by itself, and, while reasonable in itself, it was not one we were prepared to incur at the time.
§ MR. MAURICE HEALYThe right hon. Gentleman stated that the mails to the North of Ireland are greater than those to Cork; does this include the American mail?
§ * SIR J. FERGUSSONThe through mails on either route include the American mails.
§ MR. MAURICE HEALYDoes he say that the mails from London to Belfast are greater than those from London to Cork, including the American mails?
§ * SIR J. FERGUSSONThe volume of the letters going to the North of Ireland is considerably the greater.
§ MR. MAURICE HEALYI beg to ask the Postmaster General whether there is any prospect of the present unsatisfactory method of transferring the Irish and American mails from train to steamer, and vice versâ, at Kingstown and Holyhead being improved; whether it is in the power of the Post Office authorities, under the terms of their contract with the London and North Western Railway Company, to require that Company to provide such mail vans as would permit the mails to be carried in crates, which could be lifted on board or on shore, without breaking bulk, by means of a crane; whether he is aware that the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company are strongly in favour of this system, and have expressed their willingness to contribute their share of the necessary expense of bringing it into effect; and whether the Post Office Department have made any inquiries as to whether the suggestions of the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company could be usefully and successfully carried into effect?
§ * SIR J. FERGUSSONThis matter has been fully considered several times. The mails are transferred with the utmost expedition at present, and the London and North Western Railway Company regard the proposed scheme as impracticable. The Department has no power to insist on its adoption; and looking at the serious difficulties in the way, independently of the question of expense, it is thought that the circumstances do not justify any further action by the Post Office.
§ MR. SEXTONThe right hon. Gentleman has not answered the paragraph as to whether the Department have made inquiries as to the proposal for transferring the mails?
§ * SIR J. FERGUSSONI will investigate the matter, especially as it has been suggested; but I am afraid we 855 shall not be able to do much. I have answered the other paragraphs of the question.