§ 33. Mr. VIANTasked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the overtime worked by the telephone engineers in the London district during the period of 1st January, 1934, to 30th September, 1936, amounts in the aggregate to 4,036,712 hours, and that this, on the basis of a 48-hour week, amounts to an additional 84,103 weeks of employment, which if spread over the whole period would have given employment to an additional 539 men; and whether he will give instructions that will increase the rate of recruitment and thereby cause this present policy to cease?
§ The POSTMASTER-GENERAL (Major Tryon)I am fully aware of the position; and, as intimated in my reply to the hon. Member's question of the 23rd instant, everything possible is being done to accelerate the rate of recruitment and reduce the amount of overtime.
§ Mr. VIANTWill the right hon. and gallant Gentleman tell the House what the difficulty is in this matter?
§ Major TRYONOne obvious difficulty is that we have to train these people before they become effective for purposes of reducing overtime. We are doing as much as we can, and I am entirely in sympathy with the hon. Member's point of view.