§ MR. C. J. MONK (Gloucester)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, when effect will be given to the recommendation of the Committee that if shall be an invariable rule that split duties be so arranged that the officer performing them may enjoy during each 24 hours nine clear unbroken hours at his own home, exclusive of a reasonable time for the journey from his own home to the office and from the office to his own home?
§ MR. HANBURYThe arrangement of duties in the manner described is not it measure which can be carried into effect without careful examination and rearrangements of the work at some of the larger offices; and some appreciable tune may elapse before the scheme can fie brought into full operation. The change, however, has already been made at many offices, and it is the intention of the Department to make it general as soon as possible.
§ * 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 meeting of telegraphic officials held in Belfast on Saturday last; and whether, considering that the complaints of the postal and telegraphic officials as to the Report of the Tweedmouth Committee have become general all over the country, he will, during the Recess, give consideration to the cause of these complaints with the view of remedying the same?
§ MR. HANBURYThe Postmaster General's attention has not been called to the meeting of telegraphic officials held in Belfast on Saturday last. It has been already stated that the Report of the 851 Tweedmouth Committee has been approved by the Postmaster General and accepted by the Treasury as permanently satisfying all reasonable claims on the part of the classes included in the inquiry, and it is not the intention of Her Majesty's Government to re-open questions which, in their judgment, have been decided with liberality to the various classes in the Post Office and at considerable expense to the taxpayers.
§ MR. VESEY KNOX (Londonderry)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether he is now in a position to state if the vacancies in the class of First-class Sorting Clerks, General Post Office, Dublin, will be tilled up irrespective of the Tweedmouth recommendation of classification abolition; whether he is aware that officers qualified in everyway have been looking forward to these positions for the past two years; and, considering the serious dissatisfaction that exists in the General Post Office, Dublin, since the Tweedmouth Report has been issued, if he will meet the wishes of the staff in this case?
§ MR. HANBURYYes, Sir. It has been decided that vacancies which existed in the First Class of Sorting Clerks before the 1st instant shall be filled up.