§ SIR SEYMOUR KING (Hull, Central)I beg to ask the Secretary of the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster-General, whether the Postmaster-General is aware that serious inconvenience is caused to firms, private individuals, and journals connected with India when the Indian mail arrives on Saturday, owing to the delay at the Post Office in sorting and delivering the newspapers on Saturday afternoon; and whether arrangements cannot be made to increase the staff assigned to the duty, or in some other way to insure more prompt delivery.
§ MR. HANBURYThere is no delay at the Post Office in sorting and delivering newspapers brought by the Indian mail when that mail arrives on Saturday afternoon. A sufficient special force is always employed on such Saturdays. It is the practice not to send out on Saturday afternoon newspapers and other large packets for delivery to those firms whose offices are known to close before the time at which delivery could be effected, and if under any misapprehension newspapers have been kept over which might have been delivered, the Postmaster-General will be happy to give instructions for their delivery in future on receiving particulars. I may add that this is what has happened at the office in which my honourable Friend is interested.