§ MR. WEIR (Ross and Cromarty)I beg to ask the Postmaster-General if he will state on how many occasions during the present year the Stornaway mail steamer has been late in her arrival at Stornaway and Mallaig, respectively; and will he say how often the delay exceeded half an hour.
(Answered by Lord Stanley.) During the period from the 1st January last to the 16th instant the mail steamer from Kyle was late in arrival at Stornaway on 120 occasions, although in some cases the delay was only a very few minutes. The 1225 lateness exceeded half an hour on twenty-three occasions. With regard to the inward voyage the contract service ends at Kyle, and during the period in question the steamer was late in arrival at that place on four occasions, on each of which the lateness exceeded half an hour. I have no control whatever over the voyage south of Kyle.