§ MR. BRAMSDON (Portsmouth)To ask the Postmaster-General if he will state on what grounds he has based the wages of the postmen at Portsmouth at a maximum of 27S Per week as against 26s. paid hitherto; whether similar local conditions exist at Portsmouth as at Pymouth and Devonport, where the maximum is to be 30s. per week against 26s. paid hitherto; whether he took into consideration the fact that Portsmouth has a much larger population and deals with a greater amount of local correspondence, and that, by the latest Board of Trade Returns, Portsmouth shows a higher cost of living than such towns as Cardiff, Nottingham, Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Hull, Birmingham, or Bristol, all of which are on the 30s. scale; and whether, under the Circumstances mentioned, he can see his Way clear to reconsider his decision in regard to Portsmouth.
(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton—
The classification of Portsmouth was based on the volume of work plus the cost of living, as recommended by the Select Committee (paragraph 258). The units of work at Portsmouth number about 1,250 and place it, on work alone, in Class II., the range of which is from 800 to 1,700 units. The index number of the cost of living, as ascertained by the Board of Trade, is 105, which indicates that the cost of living at Portsmouth is not much above the normal, and the excess is not sufficient to justify the town being placed in Class I. on this account. The units of work at Plymouth and Devonport amount to 1,540, and the cost of living is exceptionally high, index number 112.
Population, 1901. Portsmouth 189,122 Plymouth 105,404 Devonport 78,059 183,463