§ 10. Mr. HOGGEasked the Postmaster-General who is responsible for posting the bulletins at the Post Office on Sundays; whether he is aware that they usually consist of information already published the previous day; and whether, in the event of such communications as have been published by the Press Bureau from the Secretary of State for War usually on Sunday afternoons being continued, he can arrange for summaries of these to be posted particularly where no Sunday papers are published?
§ The ASSISTANT POSTMASTER-GENERAL (Captain Norton)The bulletins which are posted at various telegraph offices on Sunday mornings are prepared at midnight on Saturday by the Press Bureau, and consist of a summary of official war news received on Saturday up to that hour. The telegraph offices in country districts are only open in the morning, and if communications from the Press Bureau were to be transmitted on Sunday afternoons to the 9,500 telegraph offices concerned it would necessitate keeping all those offices open, with such an increase of Sunday labour and at such heavy cost that my right hon. Friend is unable to accept the hon. Member's suggestion.
§ Mr. HOGGEWould the right hon. Gentleman try to meet us by sending a later version to the larger towns?
§ Captain NORTONI do not think that anything further can be done than what is being done.
§ Mr. HOGGEWhat is the use of Saturday's news in large towns being posted in the morning at the post offices?