Mr. ARCHDALEasked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that the train service on the Bundoran branch of the Great Northern Railway, Ireland, has been discontinued, and in consequence the inhabitants of County Fermanagh, who ordinarily use the local post offices at Irvinestown, Kesh, Pettigo, Castle-caldwell, and Belleek, have been deprived of any postal facilities, though the circumstances which led to the stoppage of the trains did not arise near any of those villages; and if it would be possible to run either a horse car or a motor with the mails from Bundoran Junction to Belleek, as in old times and so keep up the postal service which the users of those and other side offices are taxed to maintain, and not put them to the great expense of private conveyance which they are put to at present?
Mr. ILLINGWORTHI am aware of the discontinuance of the train service in question, and the consequent stoppage of the conveyance of mails. But having regard to the circumstances in which the trains ceased to run,i.e., troubles arising out of the conveyance of soldiers, I do not feel justified in imposing upon the taxpayer in this and similar cases the cost of substituting road for rail conveyance.