§ MR. MAURICE HEALYI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, at what time the Postmaster General is likely to have come to a conclusion as regards an improved method of transhipping the mails at Kingstown and Holyhead; and, whether he can state the average time occupied in transmitting the mails under the present system on the occasions when an American mail is being forwarded?
§ MR. HANBURYThe subject of transfer by machinery has engaged attention from time to time for many years past, but it is not easy to devise means which shall commend themselves to the companies concerned as well as to the Department. No unnecessary delay will take place in endeavouring to arrive at a settlement of the matter. The time occupied in the transfers under the present system varies according to the number of bags. An American mail consists of from, say, 300 to 800 or even 900 bags. The average time cannot be given without further inquiry but on a recent occasion, when 450 American bags had to be dealt with at Holyhead and Kingstown, in addition to the ordinary mail, the time occupied in transfer on each side was nine minutes or ten minutes in excess of the usual time.