§ MR. FIELD (Dublin, St. Patrick's)I beg to ask the Postmaster General whether his attention has been called to the report of a meeting of the Cork Incorporated Chamber of Commerce and Shipping on the 4th instant, at which reference was made to the numerous errors in telegrams dealt with in the Cork Post Office, and the losses sustained by the public thereby; whether he is aware that over 20 temporary hands are at present employed, a large number of whom are most inexperienced operators, and who are dealing with most important, public telegrams every day; whether he is also aware that complaints have been made by the Cork newspapers of delay which Press telegrams have sustained owing to the insufficiency of the staff of this office; and whether, considering 86 these facts, he will take immediate steps to increase the permanent staff of the Cork office?
§ THE POSTMASTER GENERAL (Mr. A. MORLEY,) Nottingham, E.I cannot find that any communication has reached the Department from the Chamber of Commerce, but, immediately after the meeting to which the hon. Member refers, the Postmaster of Cork took steps to obtain particulars of the errors to which attention had been called. Four cases were described to him, one of which occurred in 1889, and the other three in September and November of this year. All these had been inquired into, and the necessity for carefulness had been impressed on the officers concerned, but it, was by no means proved that the responsibility for the errors rested with the telegraphists at Cork. As to Press telegrams, no recent, complaint appears to have been made of delay except in the case of those transmitted from race meetings. The question whether the transmission of such telegrams can be expedited in any way is at present under consideration. It is true that a considerable number of temporary hands are at present employed in the Telegraph Office at Cork, and I am informed that the reason why a proposal has not been made to permanently increase the force is that the telegraph business there has for some time been subject to extreme fluctuations which render it necessary to proceed with caution in making any permanent addition. On this point, however, I am having further inquiry made.