§ 91. Sir W. Smithersasked the Postmaster-General if he has considered details of delay in delivery in letters which have been sent to him from Mr. Groves of Sunderland; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Wilfred PalingI have had before me nine cases of delay to postal packets occurring over the last 18 months brought under notice by Mr. Groves; in a tenth case he commended the expeditious handling of a packet notwithstanding its incorrect address. I regret the inconvenience caused by these delays which, with one exception due to a wrong address, were caused by mistreatment at one stage or another in course of post, and I look for an improvement following upon the attention which has been directed to them.
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§ 101. Mr. Bossomasked the Postmaster-General why letters which formerly were delivered around London in 24 hours now frequently take 48 hours or longer.
§ Mr. Wilfred PalingI am not aware of any deterioration in the postal service such as is suggested, but if the hon. Member will let me have details of any particular cases he may have in mind, I shall be happy to investigate them.
§ 102. Mr. Asshetonasked the Postmaster-General what is the explanation of the delay in the delivery of letters to Messrs. Hurst-Brown, Buckmaster, and Peter Hicks, of Kent House, Telegraph Street, E.C.2, to which reference is made in the firm's letter to him of 27th January.
§ Mr. Wilfred PalingDetailed inquiry has failed to ascertain the cause of the delay to the three letters in question, and it can only be assumed that they were mistreated at the delivery Post Office. The delay was certainly abnormal and I hope there will be no further similar failure. I much regret the inconvenience and annoyance caused.