§ MR. MACVEAGH (Down, S.)I beg to ask the Postmaster-General whether any decision has yet been arrived at with regard to the site for the new post office Bangor, county Down; whether, in view of the local discontent with reference to the site originally proposed, he can now state definitely that that site has been abandoned; and whether his attention has been called to the fact that the memorial now being signed in favour of it is being promoted by the chairman of the urban council, who is also the vendor of the site.
§ MR. SYDNEY BUXTONI have given most careful consideration to the question of the site of the new post office at Bangor, and, after the representations of the hon. Member, I instructed the Secretary in Dublin to make a special report on the subject. After careful inquiry he reports that, taking everything into consideration, the site in Main Street 1172 is the most suitable of the three sites originally available, and I do not, therefore, see my way to alter the decision originally come to. But in order to meet the convenience of the other part of the town, I propose to open a sub-office in or near Ballymagee Street. As regards the memorial to which the hon. Member refers, I have no information as to who promoted the memorial, but I find it was signed by the parish priest, by the rector, and by the other ministers, and by a large number of prominent citizens in each of the five wards. But in any case, the memorial had no effect on the result, as it was not received until after the Secretary at Dublin had considered his report.
§ MR. T. W. RUSSELL (Tyrone, S.)Then is it the case that in order to settle this dispute the right hon. Gentleman has had practically to provide two offices.
§ MR. MACVEAGHCan the right hon. Gentleman name any town of like size and population in the whole of the United Kingdom which has both post office and a sub-office.
§ MR. SYDNEY BUXTONI will inquire into that.
§ MR. MACVEAGHIt's a conundrum for you.