REVENUE DEPARTMENTS. (Hansard, 18 March 1892)

§ (1.10.) COLONEL NOLAN (Galway, N.)
I beg to move the reduction of the Vote by £30,000. I would rather move to increase it by £4,000, but that the Forms of the House will not allow. There is included in the Vote £75,000 for the increase of the salaries of postmasters in England, exclusive of London; but for the increase of postmasters in Ireland, excluding Dublin, the amount allotted is only £4,000. The division is altogether disproportionate. Looking at the geographical area, England is double the size of Ireland, and this is one of the things to consider. But we have also to take into consideration the extent of the districts, the distances the mails have to be transferred, and the concentrations of population. Taking all things into consideration, the larger and richer country may be allowed ten times as much as the other; but I do not think there should be such an enormous difference as 19 times as much. There has been an outcry from the Irish postmasters that their salaries are inadequate, and yet the Postmaster General takes the occasion to make the disparity between the two countries so much the greater. The increase to Scotland of £12,000 is about a fair proportion, but the rise in Ireland is most inadequate, and it will create a great deal of annoyance. The number of letters is not the only test, for the conveyance of many or few makes no great difference. I am at a loss to know why this difference of one to 19 is adopted. I believe the Chancellor of the Exchequer contends that the proportion of taxation is one to eleven, though we claim it is an eighth. However, I will not at this hour go into that question. I am quite sure that the postmasters of England are a hard-worked 1302 class, and I do not deny that they are entitled to the increase; but I must insist that the Irish postmasters can fairly claim a larger proportion than this £4,000.

§ (1.13.) THE POSTMASTER GENERAL (Sir JAMES FERGUSSON,) Manchester, N.E.
I did not in Committee contend that the number of letters was the only test of work done; all the transactions in the office must be considered. The hon. and gallant Gentleman is in error in supposing that Ireland gets less than a fair share of postal expenditure. As a matter of fact, Ireland receives 30 per cent. more, in proportion to her contribution to the Revenue, which is 6 per cent., as compared with 10 per cent. from Scotland, and 84 per cent. from England.

§ (1.15.) MR. BLANE (Armagh, S.)
Scotland, with a small population, gets three times the amount given to Ireland, but it cannot be contended there are three times as many letters passing through the Scotch offices. I do not begrudge the amount to Scotland, but I do say that the amount of increase allotted to Ireland is insufficient. I know that Irish postmasters have often, in the discharge of their duties, to incur very considerable personal expense. You give £4,000 to 4,600,000 people and £12,000 to Scotland with a smaller population and a smaller number of letters, with also greater facilities for transit than we have in Ireland. That I say is not sound sense. The Postmaster General might be a little more generous to Ireland. The postmasters in country towns in Ireland supervise the post offices in their districts, and have very arduous duties to perform. I would appeal to the Postmaster General to say whether there cannot be a better division of this Vote. It is with great reluctance we bring these things under the notice of the House; but we are sent here for that purpose. The Postmaster General alleges that 84 per cent. of the whole earnings of the Post Office comes from England, 1303 10 from Scotland, and 6 from Ireland. But, if we take the proportions given by the Postmaster General, the number ten does not represent so much as the number six. Having regard to the fact that our postmasters in Ireland travel over large areas, and supervise a large number of offices, and are entitled to have large pay, they are not fairly dealt with; and, even upon the estimate of the Postmaster General, £4,000 is not sufficient for them. We should get in the same proportion as Scotland, and at present the amount that goes to Scotland is more than double what we get. I would ask the Postmaster General to re-consider this division as between Irish and Scotch postmasters, for at the present time it cannot be pretended that it is an equitable distribution.