HC Deb 10 July 1900 vol 85 cc1119-20
MR. COHEN (Islington, E.)

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether he is aware that a number of letters posted in closed envelopes in the E.C. district by the Bank of England and other dividend-paying agencies on 30th June and subsequent days, and containing dividend warrants and other cheques, were not delivered in districts within the metropolitan area till periods varying from twelve hours to three days after posting; and whether the new postal arrangements affect letters posted and delivered within the metropolitan area; and if not, what is the cause of these delays, and when may they be expected to cease.

MR. HANBURY

The Postmaster General, I am informed, is not aware that any such delay as the hon. Member describes occurred; but it is probable that some of the large number of letters collected from the Bank of England on the date named were not delivered in ordinary course, because it appears to have been found impossible at the Bank to comply with the Department's request that the letters should be divided into batches for London and the provinces respectively. The new arrangements do not, as a rule, affect letters posted and delivered within the metropolitan area, but it is essential to punctual delivery that letters posted in the E.C. district in the usual way, should be put into the proper boxes according to their destination; that is to say, London letters into the London box and provincial letters into that for the provinces.

MR. COHEN

May I ask whether it is not possible to give some clearer indication on the letter-boxes as to the division in which letters should be posted; because the present instructions are invisible in the dark hours?

MR. HANBURY

Now that letters are sorted, some at St. Martin's-le-Grand and some at Mount Pleasant, it is all the more important that the right letters should be put into the right boxes. Whether the intimation to the public is sufficiently clear I do not know, but I will suggest to the Postmaster General that the public should be fully impressed with this necessity.

MR. COHEN

Are the double boxes confined to the E.C. district?

MR. HANBURY

Oh, no. They are all over London.

*SIR HENRY FOWLER

Does the right hon. Gentleman know that now it takes a longer time to send a letter from the E.C. district to Kensington than to Birmingham?

MR. HANBURY

I am afraid that the right hon. Gentleman is correct in his statement. I myself have had experience of a number of letters so delayed.

*SIR HENRY FOWLER

Will the right hon. Gentleman take steps to put an end to the delay?

MR. HANBURY

It is not in my power to do so. But I will press the Postmaster General to do so.

MR. GIBSON BOWLES

Is there to be an extension of this system of making the public sort its own letters under penalty of delay in the delivery?

MR. HANBURY

I do not know whether it will be extended. But it is universal all over London.

AN HON. MEMBER

No.

MR. DILLON (Mayo, E.)

Is this system the result of the appointment of Lord Londonderry?

*MR. SPEAKER

Order, order !