§ MR. ALFRED DAVIES (Carmarthen Boroughs)To ask the Postmaster-General if he will state what steamers respectively from England to New York are used which have post offices on board and on which the sorting of mails takes place; and if he is aware that on those mail steamers which have neither post offices nor sorting delay takes place in delivery, which frequently prevents the recipient of communications replying for four days.
(Answered by Lord Stanley.) British sea post offices, where mails are sorted, 789 have recently been established on the packets of the White Star Line and of the American Line; and there are also sea post offices on some of the German steamers to and from New York. These arrangements were made in order to expedite the delivery of correspondence and I fully realise the advantages to be gained by extending them. But I regret to say that I have not yet been able to arrange terms for sea post offices or board the packets of the Cunard Line.