§ MR. GILHOOLYI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether any improved arrangements have been made for the transit and delivery of the mails between Skibbereen and Crook-haven?
§ MR. HANBURYI have already informed the hon. Member that the question of using the tramway between Skibbereen and Schull is under inquiry, and that when the report has been received and considered the result shall be communicated to him. These Postal questions often necessitate returns of the correspondence and the personal visit of one of the Surveying Staff, who may have many similar matters on hand to which 497 precedence must be given. In the present case negotiations with the Tramway Company may also be necessary. So that, in any event, some time may elapse before it may be possible to give a definite reply to the hon. Member.
§ Mr. MAURICE HEALY (Cork)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether, in fixing the new mail time table as between Dublin and Cork, the long interval which now exists between the arrival of the mail at Kingstown and its dispatch for Cork will be put an end to, and the mail dispatched for Cork without any delay?
§ MR. HANBURYAllowing for the time necessary for the journey from Kingstown to Kingsbridge, the interval between the arrival of the mail packet at Kingstown and the departure of the mail train from Kingsbridge to Cork affords a margin of about 20 minutes for irregularity. A margin is absolutely necessary to secure some degree of punctuality in the departure of the Dublin to Cork train, and 20 minutes has not proved in the past more than sufficient for the purpose. The Postmaster General therefore proposes to maintain this interval.