§ MR. LIONEL HOLLAND (Tower Hamlets, Bow and Bromley)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether he will postpone taking any action in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Post Office Establishments, until an opportunity has been given in the House of Commons for discussion upon the subject; and, whether he will take any steps to ascertain the views of the various classes of Post Office servants upon those recommendations of the Committee which affect them?
§ MR. HANBURYI do not see any reason for delaying the enjoyment of the considerable advantages which Post Office servants will enjoy as the result of the recommendations of the Committee and the decision of the Treasury until the Report has been discussed here, which can hardly be till after Easter. The time fixed for the commencement of the increased payments is the beginning of the new financial year, and the delay of even a month would involve a loss to the officials concerned of about £12,000. The views of the various classes affected have of course already been fully stated before the Committee.
§ MR. HOLLANDI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General whether, in view of the fact that no mention has been made in the recommendations of the Committee on Post Office establishments of the original class of tube attendants employed at the Central Telegraph Office, he could state what the future position and prospects for promotion of 50 or so members of this class of postal servants will be; or whether they could be given the option of being transferred to the position of sorters, as 98 in the case of the tube attendants transferred to the sorters' class in August 1892.
§ MR. HANBURYIt is not the fact that no mention is made in the Committee's Report of the class of tube attendants referred to by the hon. Member, the Committee having recommended that after four years' service, they should have the right to absorption into the postmen's class. It is understood that most of these officers would be ineligible for the situation of sorter. They have indeed all had the opportunity of competing for it.
§ MR. E. HUBBARD (Lambeth, Brixton)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether his attention has been drawn to the special claims of the submarine telegraphists, as stated on page 14 of the Report of Lord Tweedmouth's Commission; and whether the Government intend to bring in a short Bill, as suggested in that Report allowing these officers to count service for pension since the year 1870.
§ MR. HANBURYMy attention—as Secretary to the Treasury—has been called to these claims, which have I think some foundation, and the best way of dealing with them is now being considered.