§ MR. D. CRILLY (Mayo, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether, under the General Postal Regulations, the officials of local post offices are compelled to sell and exchange postal orders during the hours in which such offices are open for money order business on week days; will he explain why, in such large towns in Scotland as Dundee and Perth, postal order business is entirely suspended at the sub-post offices, and is limited to a short period in the afternoon at the general post office of those towns on public holidays, and even on local holidays such as trades' holidays, or, as in Perth, on holidays proclaimed by the town authorities; whether such breach of the General Postal Regulations is allowed in England; and whether the Postmaster General can arrange that postal order business in Scotland will be conducted in local post offices during the same business hours which obtain in England?
ME SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. R. W. HANBURY)The 157 general Regulations of the Department do provide for the sale and exchange of postal orders during the hours within which money order business is transacted on week-days. But, in 1888, special rules were laid down by the then Postmaster General prescribing the particular duties which were to be transacted at post offices in Scotland on the occasion of public holidays. And in accordance with these rules, postal and money order business is suspended on the recognised holidays at Dundee and Perth and other Scottish towns. Few or no complaints appear to have been received from any parts of Scotland in reference to these rules, which, it is believed on the contrary, are in conformity with Scottish opinion; and in default of such complaints, the Postmaster General does not propose to disturb arrangements made by his predecessor, and apparently acquiesced in by the people of Scotland.