§ MR. MACALEESE (Monaghan, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, how many appointments of rural messengers have been made since January last by the postmaster at Clones; and will he explain on what grounds a man almost 60 years of age, who is the bandmaster and leader of the local Orange band, has received one of these appointments?
§ MR. HANBURYThere have been no appointments of established officers at Clones since January last, but two changes have occurred in respect of sub- 792 ordinate duties: (1) A person who performed a rural delivery under an allowance of 6s. 6d. a week to the sub-postmaster of Brookeborough resigned, and his place was filled by a lad of 17 on the 21st of February last; (2) an Army pensioner, aged 58, was employed on a delivery at 5s. 6d. a week from the 16th of May last till the 20th June, when the duty was extended and the pay increased to 9s. a week, and the employment of this man continued. The person last referred to has acted as bandmaster to the local Orange band, but resigned this position when his duties were extended on 20th June last.