HC Deb 22 December 1893 vol 20 cc210-1
SIR F. EVANS (Southampton)

I beg to ask the Postmaster General whether he is aware that the steamship Paris, which left Southampton on Saturday, the 9th instant, delivered her mails at the New York Post Office at 30 minutes past midnight on Saturday, the 16th instant, in Philadelphia at 9 a.m. on Sunday, the 17th, and in Chicago on Monday, the 18th, at 9.30 a.m.; and that the Cunard steamship Aurania, which sailed from Liverpool on the same day that the Paris sailed from Southampton, only arrived at, Sandy Hook at 5 o'clock on the 19th instant, whence it would take probably four hours to deliver the mails at the New York Post Office; and whether, having regard to the great, saving in time of delivery of United States mails in New York when sent by the Paris and New York from Southampton, he would consider whether the Southampton route could be frequently used for the conveyance of Her Majesty's mails to the United States?

MR. A. MORLEY

The official Returns of the voyages in question have not yet been received from the United States Post Office; but, according to Lloyd's List, the Paris reached New York at 6 p.m. on the 16th instant, and the Aurania at 5 a.m. on The 19th. My hon. Friend has probably overlooked the fact that the mails carried by the Aurania left Loudon at 8 p.m. on the 9th, while the mails for the Paris left at 9.5 a.m. on the same day. An isolated case of this kind does not, in my opinion, show that the contract service viâ Queenstown is unsatisfactory; but persons desirous of sending letters by way of Southampton can attain that object by special superscription.

CAPTAIN DONELAN (Cork, E.)

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether it is not a fact that the American mail is despatched from Queenstown and not from Liverpool, and that, therefore, no fair comparison can be drawn as between Southampton and Queenstown without giving the time of sailing from Liverpool; also, whether comparing the performances of one of the fastest vessels on the American line with those of one of the slowest vessels on the Cunard line is a reasonable comparison in testing the superiority of the Southampton route; further, is it not a fact that the Great South Western Railway Company of Ireland have just taken further steps to facilitate the service between Queenstown and Kingstown?

MR. A. MORLEY

I think I have already sufficiently answered the first part of the question. As to the last question, negotiations are pending for an improvement of the railway service.

Sir F. EVANS

I should like to say that the Aurania does not happen to be a slow boat; it is, on the contrary, one of the fastest boats belonging to the Company?