§ Mr. PHILIP FOSTERasked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that a number of rural post offices have been, or are going to be, closed on one day in the week, causing inconvenience to the members of the public residing in the neighbourhood of these post offices; and whether, in this case, he can arrange for travelling assistants to take over the work of the local postmasters on the days when the post offices are closed, so that this inconvenience may be avoided?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELThe practice of allowing rural post offices to close early on one day a week, which was introduced upon the recommendation of the Parliamentary Committee on Post Office Servants of 1907, is in force at many post offices throughout the United Kingdom. The day selected for early closing is usually that adopted locally for shops under the Shops Act, when there is generally a considerable reduction in the volume of post office business. I do not think that much inconvenience results from the arrangement, and, apart from practical difficulties, which would be considerable, I should not be warranted in incurring the expense of sending a special staff to deal with the work.