§ MR. CLAUDE HAY: (Shoreditch, Hoxton)To ask the Postmaster-General if he will consider the case of the sixteen clerks at the Central Telegraph Office performing dual duties, who forwarded a petition on July 29th,1904 with regard to their continuous performance of these duties, and a request for a reconsideration of the same, seeing 784 that the petitioners were informed, in October,1904, by the Controller of the London Postal Service, that arrangements would be made to gradually relieve them, that they were also informed by the Controller of the Central Telegraph Office on March 20th,1905, that arrangements were pending which, if approved, would relieve them very shortly, and that nevertheless no change has yet been made and no reply been received by the petitioners to further requests sent to the Controller of the London Postal Service on January 7th and March 18th this year.
(Answered by Lord Stanley.) The matter is a somewhat complicated one, involving considerable readjustments of staff. These are under consideration; and I cannot promise that arrangements can be made immediately for relieving the telegraphists of these dual duties, though this object will be kept in view.