§ Mr. ANSTRUTHER-GRAYasked the Postmaster-General whether persons wishing to telephone outside the normal hours of ordinary counter business have a right to ask the sub-postmaster concerned to accept a message on tender of an additional charge not exceeding 1s. for each disturbance when off duty, or whether it rests with the sub-postmaster to decide whether he will consent to accept a message under such conditions; and whether, in view of the public importance of this concession, he can arrange for a notification as to the general attitude of the sub-postmaster to be prominently displayed in all sub-Post Offices concerned?
§ Mr. WHITESub-postmasters provide Post Office services under a contract covering stated hours, and they have no liability to provide call office attendance outside the hours for which they have contracted, that is, the normal hours of counter business. In practice, however, the great majority of them do give such1738W service, when they or their assistants are on the premises; and in such cases a window notice is displayed in the following terms:
Telephone calls can be made when this office is closed on payment of the appropriate fees and disturbance fees, provided there is someone on the premises who can deal with them, or from the Kiosk at on payment of the appropriate telephone fees.