§ MR. JAMES DALY (Monaghan, S.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster; General, whether he is aware that a meeting of the Castleblaney Postmen's Federation was hold on the 24th inst. to protest against the Report of the Tweedmouth Commission recommending the abolishing of Christmas boxes without any equivalent compensation to postmen; and whether he will give this grievance of the postmen his consideration?
§ MR. D. MACALEESE (Monaghan, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, if the long-established practice of postmen receiving gifts at Christmas time, under the name of Christmas boxes, is going to be abolished, in accordance with the recommendation of the Inter-Departmental Committee, what scale of compensation it is intended postmen shall receive in lieu of this deprivation?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. R.W. HANBURY, Preston)The Postmaster General is not aware of the meeting referred to by the hon. Member for South Monaghan. There seems to be some misapprehension with regard to the views of Lord Tweedmouth's Committee on the question of Christmas boxes for postmen. The Committee recommended, not that postmen should be prohibited from receiving such gifts, but that the Post office should adopt a general rule for all postmen against asking for them, somewhat similar to that now in force in the provinces. This recommendation will be acted upon.
§ MR. M. MCCARTAN (Down, S.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether his attention has been called to the Resolution recently passed by the Belfast Branch of the Postmen's Federation, in condemnation of the recommendations of Lord Tweedmouth's Committee, and in protest against the want of recognition of the demands of the postmen; and whether their claims for better treatment will be reconsidered?
§ MR. HANBURYThe Resolution from Belfast has not come under notice, but copies in almost identical terms of resolutions on the subject referred to have been received from numerous towns throughout the Kingdom, and have been returned to the senders with an intimation that it has never been the practice for the Postmaster General to receive representations from the staff in the form of "Resolutions." These claims have been fully considered by a very competent Committee, and it is not proposed to reconsider their recommendations, which have been approved both by the Post Office and the Treasury.
§ MR. MCCARTANasked in what form the Postmaster General received representations if not in the form of resolutions?
§ MR. HANBURYI cannot say in what form he will receive representations, but he will not receive them in the form of Resolutions.