HC Deb 14 May 1897 vol 49 cc496-7
MR. W. O'MALLEY (Galway, Connemara)

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, if his attention has been drawn to the resolution passed by the Clifden Board of Guardians, in which they complain of the very serious inconvenience occasioned by the fact that the mail arrives in Clifden an hour or more later every morning since 1st May, thus seriously affecting the delivery of letters through all parts of Connemara, and rendering it difficult, if not impossible, to reply to correspondence on the same day; and, whether he will take the necessary steps to remedy this state of affairs?

THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. R. W. HANSBURY,) Preston

Clifden cannot benefit, as most of the rest of Ireland does, by the accelerated day mail, because, though that reaches Galway 54 minutes earlier than it did, the car could still only reach Clifden about 7 p.m. too late for the return mail to leave the same day. It is, therefore, dependent upon the night mail which leaves Dublin and arrives at Galway 50 minutes later than formerly, in order to include the mails sent from other parts of Ireland via Dublin. The evening mail from Dublin to England is now 50 minutes later, and the mails to Dublin have been made 50 minutes later in order to share in this advantage.

MR. J. P. FARRELL

asked whether the right hon. Gentleman was aware that there was a line of railway running in close proximity to Clifden?

MR. HANBURY

said that was so, but the trains ran at very inconvenient times.

MR. J. P. FARRELL

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether he will inquire from the Great Northern Railway Company the cause of the delay of the mid-day mails for Belturbet at Ballyhaise Junction; whether he is aware that the Cavan mails reach Cavan half an hour earlier than the Belturbet mails reach Belturbet, although the distance to Cavan from Ballyhaise Junction is longer than to Belturbet from the same junction; and, whether, if this is j caused by any special train arrangement, or by shunting, or the like, he will ask the railway company to alter the arrangements?

MR. HANBURY

The mid-day mails for Belturbet are not, it appears, delayed at Ballyhaise Junction, but arrive at Belturbet at 11.10 a.m., only five minutes later than at Cavan. This is due to an alteration in the timetables, of which the London Post Office had no information when I stated on Tuesday last that the train reach Belturbet at 11.35 the time also stated in "Bradshaw." This means an addition of twenty-five minutes to the increased interval between the arrival and departure of the mail at Belturbet.

MR. MAURICE HEALY (Cork)

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, with reference to the lenders recently invited by the Post office for the conveyance of mails between Kinsale and Ballinhassig, could he state what the amount of the accepted tender was, and whether any lower tender was sent in; and, if so, what its amount was, and why it was not accepted?

MR. HANBURY

The lowest tender was accepted for the service in question, but the Postmaster General is not prepared to state the amount.