§ MR. J. F. X. O'BRIEN (Cork)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether the same facilities for exchange of duties as are allowed in the sorting office, Cork, could be extended to the telegraph department; whether he is aware that exchanges were refused in the latter department recently, although no inconvenience would have been caused to the department thereby, and would have been of convenience to their staff; and will instructions to sanction and regulate such exchanges be now issued to the Cork post office authorities, and to give reasons for any future case of refusal.
§ MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINAll reasonable facilities for exchange of duties are allowed in the telegraph office as well as in the sorting office at Cork, but it is necessary that applications for exchange should be made in good time and on grounds that can be recognised. In two instances recently such applications have been refused, because in one case sufficient notice was not given and in the other no adequate grounds were stated by the applicant.