§ SIR EDWARD REED (Cardiff)I beg to ask the Postmaster General whether his attention has been called to the alleged undermanning of the staff of the telegraph office at the Royal Exchange, and to the statement that they are working under conditions of great hardship; and whether he will cause inquiries to be made into the truth of these statements?
§ MR. ARNOLD MORLEYMy attention was drawn to a paragraph in The Telegraph Chronicle of the 7th June to which my hon. Friend probably refers, stating that the increase of business at the Stock Exchange shows "how fearfully undermanned the staff of the office is at the present time," and adding that if this state of things should continue, a "vigorous protest" would reach the Controller from the staff concerned. I am glad to be able to state that the staff on seeing the paragraph, spontaneously addressed a letter to the Controller repudiating the authorship and sentiment of the paragraph in question. I should like to take the opportunity of adding that the staff, so far from grumbling or showing a discontented spirit, worked cheerfully, and exerted themselves to the utmost to meet the pressure. And I believed that this conduct, which I am happy to recognise, is a far better indication of the feelings of the staff towards the Department than the exaggerated and usually unfounded statements which have appeared from time to time in the Public Press and which have attracted attention in the House.