§ MR. JOHN CAMPBELL (Armagh S.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether he is aware that, owing to the introduction of women in the Armagh Post Office, and the withdrawal 1394 of a junior member who, has for some weeks been engaged in the duty of rearranging rural postmen's walks, the number of men available for work has been considerably reduced. Whether he is aware that, in consequence of this reduction, the remainder of the staff have been obliged to perform extra duty, so that men have had to work fourteen or fifteen hours per day, sometimes coming on at 2 a.m. after their work of the previous day; whether it is customary to attach such work to an ordinary officer such as the aforesaid junior member; and whether he will see that there is some redistribution of the work among the staff at Armagh.
§ MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINThe duties of the Armagh Post Office have not been prejudiced by the introduction of the three women clerks who now, with eight men, make up the established indoor staff, but recently some extra duty has been necessary in consequence of sick and other absences. This extra duty, of which the woman have generally taken a share, has been of very-moderate amount, except during one week when five men in rotation each worked overtime for six hours one night in the week. The circumstances were quite exceptional, and instructions have been given for such a distribution of the work as will not in future involve any officer in a prolonged night attendance in addition to his ordinary day duty. The junior officer referred to, as withdrawn for temporary special duty was considered the best qualified for that duty.
Supplementary Questions were put by Mr. W. JOHNSTON (Belfast, S.) and Mr. JOHN CAMPBELL, but were not audible.