§ MR. MAURICE HEALY (Cork)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether complaints have been made as to the want of a sufficient staff at the General Post Office, Dublin, to deal with the sorting of the additional mail matter from America arising from all American mails being now sent viâ Queenstown; and whether it is the case that suggestions have been made in the Dublin office that the mails in question, or some portions of them, should be sent otherwise than viâ Queenstown?
§ CAPTAIN DONELAN (Cork, E.)At the same time I will ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster-General, whether the Irish postal authorities experience any difficulty in dealing with the increased American mail traffic now being sent viâ Queenstown, owing to the temporary discontinuance of the service between Southampton and New York; and whether steps will be taken, if necessary, to provide whatever additional staff may be required to cope with the increased work?
§ MR. P. O'BRIEN (Kilkenny)And I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether it is in contemplation to divert the American mails from Queenstown to Liverpool or elsewhere; and, if so, for what reason?
§ MR. HANBURYI will answer these three questions together. The Postmaster General is not aware of any intention to alter the arrangements for the mail service from America to the United Kingdom performed by British steamers. The mails for Great Britain are landed at Queenstown or carried on to Liverpool, according to the time at which the mail steamer arrives off Queenstown, and no alteration of practice in this respect is in contemplation. The Postmaster General has received no representations from the Dublin Post Office as to any difficulty experienced in dealing with mails from America now passing through Ireland, or any suggestion that the mails should be sent otherwise than viâ Queenstown. If additional staff should be required for dealing with the mails in Dublin, it will, of course, be granted.
§ MR. P. O'BRIENArising out of the answer, may I ask whether there is in existence any contract between the Post Office and the South Western Railway of Ireland for the carriage of the mails?
§ MR. HANBURYI do not think that arises out of the question.
§ MR. P. O'BRIENI will put the question to-morrow.
§ CAPTAIN DONELANWill any addition be made to the staff for the purposes of the traffic?
§ MR. HANBURYIf any is required, it will, of course, be granted.