§ MR. ASHLEYI beg to ask the Postmaster General whether he can now give the result of his inquiries into the case of Robert Eyres, a mail-van driver, charged on Monday, April 2nd, at the Central Criminal Court, with furious driving, who stated in his defence that he was on duty from fifteen to eighteen hours a day, and that his horse, on the day of the alleged offence had been in harness for twelve hours; and will he state the hours usually worked by this man and the hours worked on the day in question.
§ THE POSTMASTER-GENERAL (Mr. SYDNEY BUXTON,) Tower Hamlets, PoplarI find that the man's duty ordinarily covered a period of fourteen and a quarter hours (and not fifteen to eighteen as stated by him); but of this period nearly five hours were his own for rest and refreshment. On the day on which he was arrested for furious driving twelve and a half hours had elapsed since he attended at the contractor's yard; and of this time four hours had been at his own disposal. I understand that the day's work is practically of the same length as that of drivers employed by private firms of carriers. The horses employed on those duties work for fourteen hours one day and rest the next. I am giving the question of these contracts my attention.
§ * MR. J. WARD (Stoke-on-Trent)Was this man employed directly by the Postmaster-General or was he employed by a contractor.
§ MR. SYDNEY BUXTONNo, Sir. I am looking into the conditions of these contracts.