§ 9. Mr. Cobbasked the Assistant Post master-General the total number of persons employed by the Post Office on 30th June, 1937 and 1945, respectively; and what proportion of these were physicists or qualified engineers engaged on pure research and applied research respectively.
§ Mr. BurkeThe total number of full-time Post Office staff was 221,171 in 1937, and 233,236 in 1945. Of these, 42,056 and 43,820 respectively were employed in the Engineering Department. The Post Office does not undertake pure research. Applied research cannot be clearly distinguished from the highly technical development work carried out at engineering department Headquarters; the number of physicists and qualified engineers employed on these classes of work was 405 in 1937, and 387 in 1945.
§ Mr. CobbCan the Minister say whether he thinks that this paucity of research workers is satisfactory and that he will be able to increase the number in the near future?