§ MR. WEIRI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, seeing that M'Brayne's thirty-nine-year-old mail steamer "Clydesdale," which conveys His Majesty's mails to and from Stornoway, is continually late in her arrival at Stornoway, and that she was more 1333 than half an hour late on no less than twenty-nine occasions out of the sixty-three passages which she made from Mallaig and Kyle of Lochalsh to Stornoway between the 1st April and 22nd June, will he explain why the penalty clauses have not been enforced.
§ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN, Worcestershire, E.)The Postmaster General does not consider that the penalty clauses in the Stornoway mail contract apply to the delays to which the hon. Member refers, which were satisfactorily explained by the contractor.
§ MR. WEIRI beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will state how many men are engaged in working M'Brayne's thirty-nine-year-old mail steamer "Clydesdale," which conveys His Majesty's mails between Mallaig, Kyle of Lochalsh, and Stornoway; and the number of hours out of the twenty-four each man has for rest.
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThe Board of Trade are not in a position to interfere with the internal arrangement or methods of working the steamer to which the hon. Member refers, but, through the courtesy of the owner, and by the inquiries of my local officers, I have been furnished with information which satisfies me that the "Clydesdale" (which holds a Board of Trade passenger certificate) is not only adequately but liberally manned.