§ MR. T. R. LEUTY (Leeds, E.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General whether his attention has been drawn to the case of Arthur. Whitaker, an auxiliary letter carrier at Leeds, who, when doing Sunday duty, was induced by promise of a staff appointment to leave his ordinary weekday employment in 1894; and, is he aware that 'Whitaker worked on the staff as junior front April, 1894, for about two months, and was then put back to auxiliary work and told that he could not have a staff appointment till he had worked that duty for a short time; if so, why he has not been appointed, whilst others, who began doing postal work since he did, have received staff appointments?
§ MR. HANBURYA. Whitaker, who after employment by the Department on Sundays for about a year, became an auxiliary postman at Leeds in 1894, appears to have been irregularly informed by an officer who is no longer in the service, and without the knowledge or sanction of the postmaster of Leeds, that he would probably receive an appointment as postman, but no actual promise was made to him. It is not known whether he left private employment as stated. It is not the case that Whitaker worked on the staff from April, 1894, for about two months. But he has, in common with other auxiliaries, performed full duty as substitute in times of pressure. The Postmaster General is not 165 aware that he was told that he could not have an established appointment until he had worked that duty for a short time. Under the existing regulations telegraph messengers over 18 years of age, and auxiliaries who have been telegraph messengers, have the first claim to vacancies on the class of established postmen, and it is only when there are no eligible ex-telegraph messengers available that auxiliaries like Whitaker are nominated. At the time that Whitaker's case was under consideration, there were eligible auxiliaries who had been telegraph messengers, and one of these, whose service dated from September, 1892, was selected for nomination.