§ MR. J. L. CAREW (Dublin, College Green)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster-General (1) whether he will arrange that the whole time to be saved by the acceleration of the night mail service between London and Dublin will be devoted to increasing the interval in Ireland between the arrival and departure of the mails, and thereby afford two hours additional time for correspondence, to the great advantage of many important towns and cities in Ireland; and (2) whether he will also arrange that the day mail be accelerated to the same extent as the night mail?
§ * MR. HANBURYNo, Sir. It is not practicable to do what the hon. Member suggests in the first paragraph of his question. The night mail from Euston to Holyhead cannot leave Chester before the train bringing the Scotch mail from Warrington arrives at that town, and similarly the up Irish mail must reach Chester in time to secure a connection with the down Scotch express at Warrington. If the hon. Member's suggestion were carried out, neither of these results, both of which are of the greatest importance both to Scotland and Ireland could be secured. The day mail packets will be accelerated by half an hour, but it would not, be justifiable to increase the heavy expense which would be involved in the acceleration of the day mail trains.