§ MR. KEIR HARDIE (Merthyr Tydvil)I beg to ask the Postmaster General, whether his attention has been drawn to the remarks made by Mr. Justice Phillimore, when directing the grand jury at the opening of the Glamorgan assizes, in which he animadverted on the low wages paid to five Post Office employees who have since been sentenced, to various terms of imprisonment, and expressed the hope that the Post Office authorities would consider this state of things; and whether he proposes taking any action in the matter.
§ THE POSTMASTER-GENERAL (Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN,) Worcestershire, E.Of the five persons referred to by the hon. Member, only two were in the direct employment of the Department; the remaining three were employed by sub-postmasters who receive inclusive emoluments to cover the whole cost of maintaining their offices, and make their own arrangements to provide themselves with assistance. In one of these cases the assistant was a voluntary learner without pay, as she wished to acquire a knowledge of Post Office work with a view to subsequently securing an appointment. In another of the cases the assistant was the sub-postmaster's son. The third was a girl who is stated to have received 5s. a week. Of the two persons who were servants of the Post Office, one was in receipt of 31s. a week for wages and stripe allowance, exclusive of uniform and boot allowance. The other was a youth who was receiving 22s. a week. I do not consider that the rate of remuneration can be properly described as low in either of these cases; and I see that the; learned judge, in passing sentence, concurred in this view and stated that his former remarks had been misunderstood.