§ Mr. SNOWDENasked the Postmaster-General on what principle promotions among the female staff of the London telephone service are made or proposed to be made; and if equality of treatment of the staff of the National Telephone Company and the Post Office staff will be strictly observed in accordance with the memorandum and pledges on the matter?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELSteps will be taken to form combined seniority lists of the female staff in the London telephone service, and every effort will be made to accord equality of treatment to 1203W the two sections of the staff in the preparation of these lists. Meantime vacancies occurring in the supervising grades of each of the two sections of the staff are being filled as far as possible from within that section.
Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTasked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that at present business users of the telephone in Glasgow are in some instances paying twice and even three times more than they formerly did for their telephones and in many cases more than double what other subscribers are paying, while the latter, who may be their rivals in business, may be making a much greater use of the telephone; whether he will revert to the old rate until the new charges have been definitely settled; and how long does he anticipate it will be before the new charges can be definitely settled?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELI am aware that the rates of subscription which were adopted in 1907 are higher than the rates in force under some earlier contracts which were entered into by the Corporation of Glasgow and the National Telephone Company. Although I have agreed not to determine existing contracts pending the general revision of rates, I should not be justified in offering obsolete rates in other cases under new agreements. As I have already stated, I hope that the revised scale of rates for general adoption will be announced during the first half of this year.