§ MR. BARRIE (Londonderry, N.)To ask the Postmaster-General whether a recent rearrangement of internal work in the Belfast post office has led to delay and considerable inaccuracy in the transmission of press and other telegrams; and, if so, whether he will reconsider the new arrangement under which the staff are required to take part-duty only in telegraphic work and the remainder in ordinary postal work; and whether it is 1540 customary in important offices such as Belfast to have a full staff of expert telegraphists on duty during the hours in which pressure of messages usually occurs.
(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) The hon. Member has been misinformed. I am assured that there is no foundation for the statement that there has been delay or error in the transmission of telegrams at Belfast. Under the new arrangement which came into force on the 4th instant, the staff are not required "to take part duty only in telegraphic work and the remainder in ordinary postal work"; but on the contrary, telegraph staff have been employed on telegraph duties only and postal staff on postal duties only. A sufficient staff of expert telegraphists is on duty at Belfast at all periods of the day.