§ 46. Sir W. DAVISONasked the Home Secretary whether he is aware of the inconvenience caused to the public, as well as to the drivers of public conveyances, by reason of the situation of the Lost Property Office, where lost property has to be deposited and claimed; and whether he will consider the advisability of transferring this office to Scotland Yard, or other more accessible site, than that of the present office?
Mr. STANLEYThe Lost Property Office was removed to the present building at Lambeth in 1926 because it had very much outgrown the accommodation previously allotted to it at Scotland Yard, and was occupying valuable space 819 which was urgently required for other purposes. The site at Lambeth was the nearest to Scotland Yard that could be obtained without undue expense. The new Lambeth Bridge should make the present office more accessible; and I would remind the hon. Member that drivers and conductors deposit articles which they find, not at Lambeth but at any police station, and that as regards claimants, every effort is made to effect identification of property by correspondence when a personal call is inconvenient.
§ Sir W. DAVISONHas the hon. Member ever been to this office himself, or have his umbrellas not been worth recovering? Is he aware of the great difficulty experienced by the public in finding the office, especially as it is called a public carriage office? You do not want a public carriage, but an umbrella.