§ MR. KEIR HARDIE (West Ham, S.)I beg to ask the Postmaster General if he can state the number of telegraph clerks employed at the Central Telegraph Office, who, in addition to performing night duty, are brought on overtime 133 during the day for several hours; and how many clerks on 6th June performed 10, 11, and 12 or more hours' duty with but a break of 30 minutes for dinner?
§ THE POSTMASTER GENERAL (Mr. A. MORLEY, Nottingham, E.)There are about 17 telegraphists out of about 2,000 male telegraphists at the Central Telegraph Office who, in addition to performing night duty, are called upon to perform overtime duty on some days of the week. On the 6th of June there was a large amount of work, especially in the transmission of news; and it was necessary for 457 of the male staff to remain on duty for 10 hours and over. Of these 195 performed 10 hours' duty; 150 performed 11 hours' duty; 97 performed 11 hours' duty; 5 performed over 12 hours' duty, 150 of these were given a compensating short duty under the system of alternate long and short duties which exists in the Telegraph Service. A certain number of those performing 10 or more hours' duty had a break of from one or two hours, and in all cases there was the prescribed break of 30 minutes for dinner, and as the work fell off they had intervals for rest and for their other meals. In almost every case the overtime work is volunteered for.