§ Mr. KENDAL O'BRIENasked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that, consequent on the Hobhouse Committee revision, all established adult night messengers have obtained Civil Service certificates as postmen, and that several of them have been awarded good-conduct stripes, thereby inflicting a hardship and causing friction amongst the messengers with good records who have been denied them; will he therefore remove all cause of friction by adopting the view of the minority of the Select Committee that these men should, without delay, be awarded good-conduct stripes; and, having regard also to the fact that as the class of adult messengers is small, this reform could be carried out at small cost by awarding this concession to all adult messengers with nine years' of good conduct service?
§ Mr. SYDNEY BUXTONIn accordance with the recommendation of the Parliamentary Committee all adult night messengers with five years' full-time continuous service, who were able to obtain Civil Service certificates, have been placed on the establishment. These officers have not been awarded good-conduct stripes. The Select Committee made an explicit recommendation on the point, and I can find no record that any different view was held by a minority of the Select Committee.