§ MR. MARSHALL HALL (Lancashire, Southport)To ask the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that an officer has been brought from Keighley to fill a vacancy in the Southport telegraph office; and, if so, whether, seeing that at the present time there are several fully-qualified learners in the Southport office 1330 awaiting appointment, the senior of whom has now been in the service nearly five years, he will explain why one of such fully-qualified learners was not appointed to the vacancy.
(Answered by Lord Stanley.) The officer transferred from Keighley filled a vacancy for a man at Southport, and the senior male learner at Southport had less than two years service at the time when the vacancy was filled. The learner at Southport to whom the hon. Member refers as having been in the service for nearly five years is a female, and I regret that, owing mainly to the falling off in telegraph business, it has not yet been practicable to give her an established appointment at Southport. She has, however, been offered appointment at several other offices in the same district which she has declined. I will, however, consider whether the circumstances now admit of her being appointed at South-port.