§ CAPTAIN DONELAN (Cork, E.)I beg to ask the Postmaster - General whether his attention has been called to the Resolution recently adopted by the Queenstown Urban Council, pointing out that the contemplated change in the American mail service cannot fail to be detrimental to the commercial interests of both Great Britain and Ireland, inasmuch as the change must inevitably cause serious delay in the delivery and transmission of the Transatlantic mails throughout the chief manufacturing and business centres in England, and over the whole of Ireland and Scotland; and whether he proposes to take steps with a view to press these facts upon the notice of the American postal authorities.
§ MR. SYDNEY BUXTONMy attention has not been called to the Resolution 315 otherwise than by notices in the public Press, and the enclosure in the letter from my hon. friend yesterday. The inquiries which I am having made as to the exact effect of the change in the time of delivery of the homeward mails from the United States of America to the United Kingdom are not quite complete. But the delivery of correspondence from the United States for London will be accelerated and in almost all cases correspondence for the South and West of England and for South Wales will benefit. It remains to be seen whether these postal advantages would be so out weighed by the disadvantage as regards the rest of the United Kingdom as to justify representations to the United States Government. I may add that as no payment is made to the company by the British Post Office for the conveyance of the mails from America to this country, I have no control whatever over the movements of the ships on their voyage; eastwards. As regards the outward mails from the United Kingdom to the United States of America, for which payment is made to the White Star Line, I stipulated that their mail boat should continue to call at Queenstown, and therefore the present outward mail service will not be affected.
§ CAPTAIN DONELANIs the right; hon. Gentleman aware that this proposed alteration means the abandonment of the; only regular weekly American mail service now disembarked at any Irish port?
§ MR. SYDNEY BUXTONI understand that some White Star vessels will call at Queenstown. I stipulated that if the change were made from Liverpool to Southampton some vessels should call at Queenstown.
§ CAPTAIN DONELANWill the right hon. Gentleman take the steps suggested in the Question?
§ MR. SYDNEY BUXTONI am getting all the information I can, and when I get it I will consider whether it is advisable to take further steps.