§ MR. JAMES O'CONNOR (Wicklow. W.)I beg to ask the Postmaster-General in connection with the re-classification of post offices for the purpose of postmen's wages, whether the new classification involving a lower scale of pay has been fixed for any office without first ascertaining through the Board of Trade the cost of living; and, if so, whether such a practice is a violation of the Select Committee's recommendations.
§ MR. SYDNEY BUXTONThe Select Committee recommended that the new classification should be based upon the volume of work as ascertained by the post office, plus the cost of living of the locality as a whole, as ascertained by the Board of Trade. I have not yet received from the Board of Trade all the information necessary to determine this factor. The classification is therefore in many cases provisional until fuller information is available. At most of the offices thus provisionally classified the new scales of pay are higher than those previously in force.