§ Captain ERSKINE-BOLSTasked the Postmaster-General if he can make any statement as to the proposed transfer of Lancashire telephone girls to London, the wages paid in London, and how these compare with Lancashire rates?
§ Sir K. WOODThere is a large redundancy of telephonists at Manchester, owing to the introduction of automatic working; and steps are being taken to transfer the surplus staff to other offices. Sufficient vacancies are not available in provincial districts; and applications have therefore been invited for volunteers for transfer to the London telephone service. I hope that it may be possible to avoid the necessity for compulsory transfer to London. The London scale of pay is generally 3s. a week more than that at Manchester. A London telephonist of 21 years of age receives 43s. 6d. a week,
680W
Sir H. YOUNGThe figures, so far as they are available, are as follow:
and a telephonist of the same age at Manchester receives 40s. 6d. a week.