§ Sir RANDOLF BAKERasked the Postmaster-General if Mr. Christopher, the postmaster of Lychett Minster, in East Dorset, has been compelled to give up his position because he has displayed a Conservative poster outside his bedroom window; and if, as the house is his own property and the post office is only situated on the ground floor, this is a breach of the Post Office regulations?
§ The POSTMASTER-GENERAL (Mr. Herbert Samuel)Partisan activities on the part of sub-postmasters would be likely to cause friction between them and members of the public and loss of confidence in the service carried out by the Post Office for the public; they are therefore forbidden by the regulations of the Post Office. The exhibition of the poster in question was a clear breach of those regulations, and the sub-postmaster was informed on Monday last that it must be removed. Similar action has been taken and will be taken in all similar cases, irrespective, of course, of the political proclivities of the officer concerned.
§ Sir RANDOLF BAKERHas the right hon. Gentleman's attention been called to the fact that the postmaster at Upton has been openly displaying a flag with "Vote for Major Guest" on it, and that another postmaster in the same constituency has Radical posters over the walls of his office, and, if so, what steps has he taken or is he prepared to take?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELAs soon as my attention was called to these cases similar instructions were sent to the surveyor of the district, and these two postmasters were immediately ordered to remove the posters.