§ MR. THOMAS B. CURRAN (Donegal, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether, when an additional female assistant supervisor was granted to the Dublin office in 1896, the senior supervisor was withdrawn from sectional supervising duties, no assistance being thus given to the supervising force; is he aware that the charge of the large sections by assistant supervisors and female telegraphists has been a constant source of complaint, and resulted in the retirement from ill-health of three assistant supervisors between 1894 and 1896; and, whether the Postmaster General will take immediate steps to increase the female supervising force, and put an end to the practice of female telegraphists supervising large sections during a considerable portion of every year?
§ MR. HANBURYThe appointment of an additional female assistant supervisor to the Dublin office in 1896 was granted for the express purpose of releasing the supervisor from sectional supervising duties, as it was found that most of her time was necessarily devoted to the more important work of the general supervision of the female staff. As the new appointment enabled the officers employed on sectional supervising duties to give undivided attention to their proper work, the hon. Member's inference that no assistance was given to the supervising force under this change is incorrect. The Postmaster General is not aware that the charge of large sections by assistant supervisors has been a constant cause of complaint, indeed such charge is the proper work of assistant supervisors; but he is aware that complaint has been made that the charge of sections had been entrusted from time to time, in the absence of assistant supervisors, to female telegraphists. So far, however, as his present information goes he does not believe that this has hitherto been done to an extent which would justify the creation of an additional supervising appointment. It is not the fact that three of the supervisors broke down through pressure of work. The medical officer at Dublin reported that their illnesses were due to natural causes. The Postmaster General is having inquiry made whether the circumstances have so far altered as 144 to justify an addition to the supervising staff, but pending the receipt of a report he is unable to make any definite statement on the subject.