§ SIR T. ESMONDEOn behalf of the hon. Member for Cork (Mr. MAURICE HEALY) I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether the sorting staff of the Cork Post Office have recently presented a petition asking for a re-arrangement of their hours of night duty: whether, 1458 inasmuch as under the sorting system the night duty lasts from 6.30 p.m. to 5 a.m. (and sometimes when an American mail arrives to 6 a.m.), with a break of three hours from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., this interval not being computed as a period of work, and inasmuch as these hours are somewhat worse than those in force prior to the recent acceleration of the mails, the Postmaster General will take into consideration that the interval from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. cannot be availed of by the stall either for rest or recreation; and that no suitable apartment is provided in the post office where the interval can be spent; whether he is aware that a grievance of a similar character exists in the parcel office; whether in the Limerick Post Office recently a similar grievance has been redressed by a re-arrangement of the hours of night duty; and whether the prayer of the petition, which proposes a re-arrangement of hours which would enable the staff to work continuously from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., will be acceded to?
§ *MR. HANBURYThe petition referred to has been received by the District Surveyor who will submit it to headquarters in due course. The hours of duty in the sorting office at Cork are substantially as stated in the Question, but the interval between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. is available for rest, as there is a retiring room which can be used by the staff. I am informed however that the officers reside, on the average, within about ten minutes' walk of the office. A re-arrangement of the duties has recently been made, experimentally, with the object of bridging over the midnight interval in some cases. This arrangement, which depends on combining the duties of sorting clerks and telegraphists, will, if found successful, be further extended as the number of officers who are qualified in both branches of the work increases, and it is hoped that by degrees a large proportion at least of the dual attendances between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m. will be done away with. A revision of the duties of the staff at Limerick was carried into effect some time ago and the break in the night attendance no longer exists there.