§ MR. STEADMANI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether he is aware that no steps have yet been taken to carry out amongst the postmen employed at the East Central District Office the recommendations of the Tweed-mouth Committee, contained on page 6 of its Report; whether he is aware that the E.G. postmen have very few continuous duties, that the vast majority of their duties involve three attendances, that many of them extend over 15 hours each day (thus only allowing seven hours at home), and that no improvement has as yet been made since the issue of the Tweedmouth Report 16 months ago; whether it is intended to carry out the recommendations of the Committee in the case of the E.C. postmen; and why the first paragraph of the memorial from the E.C. postmen to the Controller of the London Postal Service (dated 17th January, 1898), the explanatory statement furnished some days later by one of their number, a Mr. Symes, at the express request of the Sub-Controller, and the further memorial of 23rd May, have not as yet been replied to, and why the request contained in both memorials that the Controller should1 receive a representative deputation on the subject has not been complied with?
§ MR. HANBURYThe Postmaster General is aware that not much has vet been done towards re-adjusting the duties of the few postmen in the Eastern Central District who do not enjoy an interval of nine hours at home, as recommended by the Tweedmouth Committee. The re-adjustment of the duties as a whole is one of great difficulty, affecting as it does a very large body of men; although it is only one section of them—namely, 32 men, out of a total of more than 1,000, who are at present debarred from the privilege the Postmaster General desires to confer. The representations made to the Controller have not been fully answered, and he has not fixed a day for receiving a deputation of the staff, because the consideration of the subject as a whole is not sufficiently far 903 advanced. Moreover, a settlement is rendered more complicated by the fact that none of the men concerned are giving a full attendance of 48 hours a week.