§ MR. MACALEESE (Monaghan, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster-General, whether Postman Livingstone, of the Newbliss district, resigned his position on the 11th July ult.; whether the Clones Postmaster, with the sanction of the Dublin postal authorities, appointed an under age person to the vacancy, although a suitable candidate named McGough had made application for the place; did Livingstone ask to be reinstated, and with what result; did the Secretary of the Dublin Post Office receive a communication about the 10th of July ult., in reference to the pending resignation of Livingstone, to which no reply was vouchsafed; and can he ascertain why the Dublin secretary treated this communication with silence.
§ MR. HANBURYLivingstone resigned on the 5th ultimo. A lad under sixteen years of ago was employed by the sub-postmistress of Newbliss to provide temporarily for the work. This lad, she reports, was the only candidate in Newbliss. McGough, to whom the hon. Member refers, made no application for the post, and he lives two miles from Newbliss. He applied some time ago for employment as a postman, and was told that if a vacancy occurred where he lived his application would be considered. Livingstone made three applications, viz., on the 18th, 22nd, and 26th ultimo for reemployment. These applications, together with a further one since received, are in the hands of the local surveyor for consideration. A communication was received on the 11th of July which related to Livingstone's retirement amongst other matters, and an answer will be returned to it in due course.