§ Mr. CLANCYasked the Postmaster-General whether he is now in a position to make any communication on the subject of the dissatisfaction and inconvenience which have been caused by the alteration in the timing of the morning mail trains from Amiens Street and Kings-bridge, Dublin; whether he is aware that that inconvenience has of late been intensified and that since the 1st instant passengers have been detained in Dublin sometimes nearly an hour, and on the average about forty-five minutes; whether amongst the complainants are a large number of soldiers; whether there is any real necessity for those delays; and whether they will be put an end to by reverting to the old arrangments?
§ Mr. ILLINGWORTHThe object of the present arrangements is to fix a time of starting which shall not change according to the time of arrival of the mails from Holyheadviâ Kingstown, but which shall as nearly as possible correspond with what is the average actual time of starting attainable under the conditions produced by the War. In my opinion the advantages of these arrangements are greater than their disadvantages, and I do not propose to reconsider them so long as war conditions obtain. As regards the hon. Member's figures—which I must not be understood as accepting—no useful guide to what is attainable as a normal arrangement can be secured from figures for so short a period as three weeks.