Captain CRAIGasked the Postmaster-General whether it was the general practice for postmasters in the various head office districts in Ireland to personally undertake the work of post-testing and checking of sub-office accounts, while their more important duties at the head offices were being performed by officers in the majority of cases in receipt of small salaries and who received no extra remuneration for the added responsibility thus cast upon them; and whether he would consider the advisability of a rearrangement which would give effect to the principle that the officer in receipt of the higher salary should at all times perform the more responsible duty or, failing 1909 this, that officers placed in temporary charge of head offices should be remunerated at a rate equal to the salary of the postmasters whom they substituted?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELI can hardly say that it is the "general practice" in Ireland or elsewhere for postmasters to undertake personally this or that duty. The importance of a duty varies according to the circumstances of the case. I have no reason to doubt that postmasters generally undertake personally the work which from time to time calls most for their personal attention, and I have no information which would point to the necessity of making any rearrangement.