HC Deb 30 June 1904 vol 137 cc176-7
MR. J. F. X. O'BRIEN

I beg to ask the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been called to the fact that on 22nd June the postmaster of Cork permitted Commander Salwey of His Majesty's Coastguards, Kinsale, to visit the interior of the Cork Post Office, the postmaster himself and the telegraph superintendent accompanying him in his tour of the office, and that Commander Salwey distributed religious tracts among the staff on duty; and, if so, whether, in view of the fact that over 90 per cent, of the said staff are Catholics, he will state how the parties guilty of this conduct shall be dealt with.

LORD STANLEY

From the inquiry which has been made, I find that while Captain Salwey was being shown the telegraph office at Cork he apparently dropped tracts on the tables and on the floor unnoticed by the postmaster or the acting superintendent who were accompanying him. The tracts were not, it appears, of a controversial character; and though I think Captain Salwey's conduct was indiscreet, I do not propose to take any action in the matter.

MR. JOHN REDMOND

Will the right hon. Gentleman see that this malpractice is not pursued in future, seeing that it is most offensive to a large number of employees?

LORD STANLEY

If it had been discovered in time the officials would certainly have stopped it.

MR. J. F. X. O'BRIEN

Will the right hon. Gentleman inquire as to the distribution of leaflets of this kind, and as to whether it was not done in the company of the postmaster of Cork and the superintendent?

LORD STANLEY

I have said that they were present, but they did not see him dropping the leaflets.

MR. CONDON (Tipperary, E.)

They winked the other eye.