§ Sir W. Smilesasked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is aware that many parcels are damaged in transit 1083W between Northern Ireland and Great Britain; and if it is now possible to revert to the prewar practice of shipping the parcels in hampers, which was most satisfactory.
§ Mr. BurkeI am not aware that the number of parcels damaged in transit between Northern Ireland and Great Britain is disproportionate to the traffic. The use of hampers instead of bags would make serious demands on storage or stowage space at the various stages of transit, and would add considerably to the cost of handling parcel mails. I am satisfied that reversion to the use of hampers, which ceased in 1910, could not be justified.