§ * MR. HAIN (Cornwall, St. Ives)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether he is aware that the boroughs of St. Ives, Falmouth, and Penryn have been excluded from the new mail service which came into operation on the 1st January between Penzance and London; that the two hours later posting would be of advantage to these towns, bringing the North of England one day nearer to, them for postal purposes; and whether, seeing that under the new arrangement these towns are for local postal service worse off than before, the Postmaster General will make arrangements with the Great Western Railway Company by 591 which all places in West Cornwall may receive the benefit of the new mail service.
§ MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINIt is true that the hours of the post in the boroughs of St. Ives, Falmouth, and Penryn have not been improved in connection with the recent alteration in the West of England Night Mail Service, but the primary object of that alteration was to obtain more accommodation in the mail trains. It was found possible, at the same time, to effect some improvement in the hours at places on the main line, but the Postmaster General did not feel himself justified in incurring considerable additional expenditure for the sake of improving the hours at places on branch lines. The hon. Member was, however, recently promised that the matter should be kept in view, and that advantage would be taken of any opportunity to accelerate the service to the places to which he refers, but the Postmaster General regrets that he cannot hold out any hope of such an improvement in the immediate future. Although a few local letters have, unfortunately, been delayed, the former hours of delivery and despatch of the night mails have been maintained practically unaltered at those places at which it has not been possible to afford an improvement.