§ MR. CAREW (Dublin, College Green)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether he is aware that the English, mail is not delivered at Balnabracky Post Office, county Meath, until 24 hours after it is received at Killucan, about eight miles distant, where it is retained to suit a delivery arrangement made many years ago before the accelerated service was established; whether he is aware that every morning, about an hour before the passing of the limited mail carrying the English, letters through Hill of Down Railway Station, a mail car leaves Hill of Down with the Irish letters 1202 for the district to Kinnegad, and then goes to Killucan to bring back in the evening the English letters to Kinnegad, four miles distant from Balnabracky, where they are kept till the next morning, so that three days is the least time that must elapse between posting a letter in England and receiving a reply; and whether he will cause the necessary changes to be made to increase the efficiency of the service?
§ MR. HANBURYIt is the fact that the English mail is not delivered at Balnabracky until 24 hours after it is received at Killucan. It does not reach Killucan until some hours after the car conveying the night mails has started for Kinnegad. It is not the fact, however, that the mail car leaves Hill of Down for Kinnegad every morning, and then goes to Killucan; on the contrary, the car starts from Killucan and goes through Kinnegad to Hill of Down in the morning, and returns at night. The only way to increase the efficiency of the service, without incurring an expense which would not be warranted by the revenue of the post, would be to establish a combined night mail and day mail delivery from Hill of Down to Kinnegad and Balnabracky, reaching those two places about two hours later than at present. It is understood, however, that the people of Kinnegad object to this course.