§ Mr. GILLasked the Postmaster-General if he will state the number of lads in the provinces who left the Post Office service on reaching the age limit for telegraph messengers, for whom no other employment could be found in the Post Office?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThe figures for the years 1907 to 1910 inclusive, are being obtained and will be communicated to the hon. Member.
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§ Mr. GILLasked the Postmaster-General if he will explain why more telegraph messengers were recruited in each of the years from 1907 to 1910, respectively, than there were vacancies caused through the lads having to leave the service on reaching the age limit, and more than are accounted for by the combined number of appointments as sorters, postmen, and porters, and by boys leaving the service for the aforementioned reason?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThe hon. Member has not taken into account all the appointments open to boy messengers. Besides those mentioned there are others, such as learnerships, paper-keeperships, etc., which absorb a certain number of boys, and there is also a steady wastage of the messenger force due to resignations, dismissals, and rejections on medical grounds, all of which tend to destroy the relation between the two sets of figures compared in the question.
§ Mr. BARNESasked the Postmaster-General whether the indoor duties upon which it is proposed to employ girl messengers have hitherto been, or are still being, performed by boy messengers; and whether he will hold over the employment of girls as messengers until after the Report of the Committee on boy messengers is issued?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThe indoor duties upon which it is proposed to employ girl probationers are at present being performed by boy messengers, though some slight rearrangement of the duties will be necessary in most cases. The Committee on boy labour is a standing Committee and has already pronounced favourably on the proposal.