§ 17. Mr. JOYNSON-HICKSasked the Postmaster-General whether there are still a considerable number of postmaster-ships held by people of German extraction, through whose hands telegrams of necessity go; and, if so, whether he will take immediate steps to have all the post offices put under the control of persons of English blood?
§ The POSTMASTER-GENERAL (Mr. Hobhouse)No postmasterships are held by persons of German extraction. There are a few sub-postmasters, whose duties involve the handling of telegrams, who are either naturalised Germans or were born in this country of German parents. Inquiries have been made, and are periodically made, into each individual case. Where there is any ground for suspicion the office has been placed in other hands, and the same course has been followed even where there has been no ground for suspicion in the case of certain offices of importance from a military or naval point of view. In the remaining cases I am reluctant to remove the present holders who are British subjects and in the absence of suspicion are entitled to be presumed to be loyal to this country.