§ MR. SCHWANNTo ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether his attention has been directed to a circular issued by the authorities at the Central Telegraph Office, London, to the London post offices, stating that the telegraph clerks dealing with the public telegraph works for London, and stationed in the chief office, are inexperienced and inefficient, and, seeing that some years must elapse before the local telegraph work of London will be in competent hands, whether, in view of the assurances of postal officials that telegraphy could be learned in three months, he will state the reasons for the publication of the recent circular and the inefficiency complained of.
13 (Answered by Mr. Austen Chamberlain.) The circular to which the hon. Member is believed to refer was issued under instructions from, the Controller of the London Postal Service on representations made to him by the Deputy Controller of the Central Telegraph Office in regard to difficulties which had occurred in the working of some of the Metropolitan circuits. In a large office like the Central Telegraph Office there must necessarily be a considerable number of recruits, and the object of the circular was to ensure that in any case in which the telegraphist at the out office was a more expert and experienced officer he should adapt his rate of working to the capacity of the receiving telegraphist at the Central Office.