Mr. ERSKINEasked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that the Oxford Street highway has been reconstructed recently at great expense to the ratepayers, and that no sooner has the work been completed than it is proposed to reopen a trench or trenches for the purpose of laying new ducts for telephones from Oxford Circus to Market Court, from Oxford Circus to Davies Street, and from Portman Street to Edgware Road; that such works will cause serious further blockage of the already congested traffic and serious loss to traders in those thoroughfares; and will he state why these works, if urgent, were not undertaken when the general reconstruction of these highways was taking place?
§ Sir L. WORTHINGTON-EVANSIt is the practice of the Post Office to keep in close touch with local authorities in order to take advantage of any opportunities to lay ducts for Post Office services when roads are under reconstruction or are disturbed for other purposes. In London prospective Post Office works which entail the opening of streets are notified in advance to the local authorities and also to the Metropolitan Boroughs Standing Joint Committee, and arrange-1066W ments are made, as far as possible, to carry the works out when the streets have to be opened for other purposes. In the section from Oxford Circus to Market Court, diversion of sewers, water mains and Post Office ducts is rendered necessary by the impending construction of an escalator by the Underground Railway Company at the Oxford Circus tube station. It is proposed to cooperate with the borough council and the water board so that the diversion of the plant of the three authorities may be effected concurrently in August with a minimum of inconvenience to the public. Similar diversions of Post Office ducts in the section Davies Street to Duke Street, due to the impending construction of an escalator at the Bond Street tube station, were carried out concurrently with the diversion of the water mains and sewers, and are nearing completion. The work proposed in the section from Oxford Circus to Davies Street, which was repaved some four years ago, is for the purpose of linking up this diverted plant. The new line of Post Office ducts will then be continuous from Market Court to Portman Street. With the exception of an isolated section on the south side of Oxford Street, no repaving operations between Portman Street and Edgware Road have been carried out recently, and consequently no convenient opportunity has been afforded for laying ducts.