§ MR. STEADMAN (Finsbury, Central)To ask the Postmaster-General if he will state the number of vacancies on the male establishment of the Post Office that have been filled by females during 1907 and 1908, respectively; and, will he say whether the substitution of female for male labour in his department is one of the causes of the present lack of employment among men.
(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) In certain cases, from the nature of the work, it was found desirable to substitute women for men. But in the aggregate the increase in the number of posts created for males during the last year has considerably exceeded the number of posts created for females, as my hon. friend will see on comparing the details of the staff employed in the Post Office as given in Appendix F of my Reports for the years 1907 and 1908, which show that the increase in the male staff in 1908 over 1907 was 2,666 against 1,753 in the female staff.