§ MR. HANBURYI beg to ask the Secretary of State for War, whether he can make arrangements that reserve men and pensioners shall receive their pay or pension at the nearest village or other Post Office, and thus be spared the necessity of going to the nearest town, often at some considerable distance, and of thereby losing a day's work?
§ *MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANsaid, a pensioner or reservist can have the money due to him made payable at any money order office he may select, but the Post Office cannot be expected to make payments at offices which are not money order offices. If a man does not desire to go to a money order office, there is very little doubt that, if known in his village, he could readily get his order cashed by a tradesman. I must add that no complaints have been received as regards this point in the question of payment.
§ MR. HANBURYThere is no place where they can get these orders cashed; and the result is, that they have to go some miles to the various towns. Cannot that be avoided?
§ *MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANIt is not always necessary for tradesmen to cash the orders. People in the position of my hon. Friend, for instance, can cash the orders. It is not the affair of the War Office, but of the Post Office. We cannot, however, expect the Post Office to pay money at offices where they have no money order departments.
§ MR. HANBURYAll over my portion of North Staffordshire there are a number of villages where it cannot be be done, and I would ask if the matter should not be taken into serious consideration.
§ *MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANI have already stated that no complaints have been received on the subject.