§ MR. HAY (Shoreditch, Hoxton)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, 1069 as representing the Postmaster General, whether he can state why certain sections of the Post Office employees received a holiday on 24th May, 1901, while others did not have one; whether overtime was worked subsequently in order to perform the work that would otherwise have been done on 24th May; and whether steps can be taken to provide that in future when a holiday to civil servants is granted it shall be given to the more poorly paid members of the staff as well as the major establishment of the Post Office.
§ MR. HAYES FISHER (for Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN)Only those employees who could be spared from their duties without inconvenience to the public service received a holiday on the 24th May last, and on the corresponding day in previous years. It is probable that in some cases overtime was worked subsequently in order to perform work that would otherwise have been done on that day. It has never been possible to grant a holiday on the occasion in question to those of the operative staff whose attendance is required on that day, and it is not practicable to make any change in that respect.