§ Sir J. D. REESasked the Postmaster-General whether, in respect of the employment of casual labour in provincial post offices, the arrangements made at the Treasury Conference on 17th to 19th March are scrupulously carried out; and whether a record of the nature of the departure from conditions prevailing before the War is in all offices kept so as to ensure that departures therefrom are only allowed on the understanding that they are agreed to as emergency war measures and have no application to times of peace?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThe proposals agreed to at the conference as to munitions of war are in many respects not applicable to the different conditions of the Post Office service; but I have no intention of assigning permanently to casual labour duties ordinarily performed by the regular staff. The conditions prevailing before the War are well known at every office, and I do not think it is necessary, even if it were possible, to keep any record of the departures which have been made from them to meet the difficulties arising from the War.