§ Dr. ADDISONasked the Postmaster-General if he will obtain from Messrs. M'Namara, mail contractors, of Castle Street, Finsbury, a Return showing the hours of waiting upon their premises, and of employment of part-time and casual drivers employed by them, and of the wages such drivers have individually received during the month of June, 1910, and present such a Return to the House; whether he will state the hours of the day or night during which such drivers are free to rest at home without interfering with their chances of employment; whether horse-keepers are sent out to drive whilst drivers are waiting on the premises; and if he will inform the House of the number of hours per week the horse-keepers are employed by this firm?
§ The POSTMASTER-GENERAL (Mr. Herbert Samuel)No record is kept of the hours of waiting of part-time or casual drivers. With regard to the hours of employment of these men, the compilation of a detailed Return for the month of June would entail a considerable amount of labour, and it will perhaps suffice if I furnish the hon. Member with the results of a special Return which was taken for a week in April last. This Return showed that sixty part-time drivers were employed by the contractors in question, the average number of hours during the week being 50† and the average wages £1 1s. Forty-four casual drivers were also employed, the average number of hours' casual work being fifty and the average wages £1 0s. 4½d. These drivers arrange their own hours of rest. A number of horse-keepers, whose services are available at certain times of the day, are employed regularly on short driving duties. According to the April Return, sixty-one horse-keepers and yard-men were employed on driving duties, the average duration of which amounted to seventeen hours twenty-six minutes for the week.
§ Dr. ADDISONWill the right hon. Gentleman be good enough to call for 1253 time tables of the men employed as day drivers, so as to ascertain the amount of time available for their meals?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELYes, I will make further inquiries.
§ Dr. ADDISONasked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the fact that single-horse drivers are employed by Messrs. M'Namara and Company, mail contractors, of Castle Street, Finsbury, at a wage of 25s. a week for seventy-two hours a week, or a little more than 4d. per hour, and that such waiting as may enter into this time is incidental to and inseparable from the conditions of their employment, he will include in any future contract with this firm stipulations that the men shall receive a minimum wage of 6d. per hour for all the hours they are employed?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELAs I informed the hon. Member on the 14th instant, these wages were settled in 1907 as satisfying the requirements of the Fair Wages Clause. I propose, however, to make fresh inquiries as to how far they are those which in practice now prevail amongst good employers.
§ Dr. ADDISONasked the Postmaster-General whether the existing contract with Messrs. M'Namara and Company, mail contractors, of Castle Street, Finsbury, provides that the contractors shall be allowed to take back old uniforms from drivers and to impose fines for the failure to return the old uniforms; if so, does the contract provide for the disposal of the old uniforms and of the money received from fines; and, if not, by what authority have Messrs. M'Namara acted in this manner, and are the fines imposed under conditions which accord with the provisions of the Truck Acts?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThe contract with Messrs. M'Namara and Company provides for the return of all uniforms supplied by the Post Office; and the contractors are responsible for any failure to comply with this provision. They are, however, allowed to renovate and use the old uniforms for their casual drivers. There is no clause in the contract dealing with the question of levying fines for failure on the part of the drivers to return old uniforms, and I am in communication with the contractors as regards the conditions under which such fines have been levied.