PAPER LAID UPON THE TABLE BY docks, etc.; and (2) Loans for other THE CLERK OF THE HOUSE.

Rate.

fifteen minutes in the despatch of com- | Bristol Telegraph Staff and the Efficiency mercial telegrams at Cork for one month, and to furnish an explanation for the cause of such delays, if any, and a Return of all waits given to stations working to Cork during that time; will be also give a Return of the deaths and sick leave of the Cork Post Office staff for the five years ended 31st December, 1907, as compared with the previous five years; and whether, seeing that the local medical officer attributed the increased sick leave to the hustling methods recently adopted, he will take steps to see that the Cork Post Office staff perform their work under conditions less trying to their health.

MR. SEDDON (Lancashire, Newton): To ask the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that at the Bristol office junior members of the staff, employed during the greater part of the year in the sorting office, have had their increments arrested for failing to pass the efficiency test required of a telegraphist regarding punching Wheatstone slip, although not yet at the efficiency bar; whether members of the staff who passed the efficiency test for their last increment have been compelled to undergo examination again before receiving their readjustment of wages under the Hobhouse scheme; and whether he can state the reason for this action at Bristol, seeing it has been taken in no other office in the country.

have received communications on both (Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) I these subjects from the Postal Telegraph.

Clerks' Association.

Arming of the "Dreadnought."

(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) Complaints such as those to which the hon. Member refers have not recently been made either to the Postmaster of Cork, or to the Surveyor, or to me. Returns made in the ordinary course, now before me, show no undue delay, and I see no reason for having special Returns taken. Seven deaths occurred among the indoor staff at the Cork Post Office during the quinquennial period ending December, 1902, and five during the five MR. BELLAIRS (Lynn Regis): To ask years ending December, 1907. The the Secretary to the Admiralty whether average annual sick-rate during the first the Board intend to take steps to re-arm period was 5 2 days for men and 6.9 days the "Dreadnought" for defence against for women, and during the second period the attacks of destroyers, in view of the 8.5 days for men and 13.1 for women. | fact that the only guns supplied to her for The former rates were below the purpose are inadequate, and the "Invincible" class and all succeeding Dreadnoughts" have been given 4-inch guns instead of 12-pounders, as in the "Dreadnought."

average

for the Irish Post Office staff generally, while the latter rates were slightly above the normal as regards men and normal as regards women. Last year the sickrate at Cork stood lower than it did in any of the preceding four years, with the single exception of the rate for women in 1904. There is no reason to think that the conditions of working which prevail at Cork are unduly trying. The medical officer (whose views are not accurately represented in the Question) states that while some temporary cases of nervous debility among the female staff may have been due to the strain of work, he has no specific case recorded of illness attributable to that cause, and as regards the staff generally he has stated spontaneously in his annual reports to the chief medical officer throughout the last ten years, that the various duties did not appear to have any detrimental effect on their health.

this

66

(Answered by Mr. Edmund Robertson.) No, Sir. The 12-pounder gun is not considered an inadequate defence against torpedo attack.

Acting Overseer at Belfast Post Office. MR. SLOAN (Belfast, S.): To ask the Postmaster-General why the practice adopted in former years of employing the senior sorting clerk and telegraphist as acting overseer is being departed from in the Belfast sorting office; and whether he is aware that this officer will be thereby deprived of the monetary advantage recommended by the Hobhouse Committee to an officer acting on a superior duty for two months.

(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) It is the general practice not to restrict e nployment on substitution to the senior o ficer of a class, but to take all reasonable opportunity for testing the qualifications of a number of those who are approaching the top of the class. No doubt this is what has occurred at Belfast, but I am ving inquiry made.

he will state the amount of sick leave and annual leave, respectively, of each of the Post Office medical officers in London, male and female, during each of the last five years.

(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) I annex a statement showing the sick leave of the Post Office headquarters medical staff during the last five years, and the annual leave to which each medical

Sick and Annual Leave of Post Office officer is entitled. The third assistant

Medical Officers.

MR. FIELD (Dublin, St. Patrick): To ask the Postmaster-General whether

medical officer and the resident medical officer have been omitted, as they have not yet been employed for a full year.

the duties of the chief clerk of the Cork Post Office; has he any special reports showing that the present chief clerk has been mainly employed on special duties since his advent to office and his duties worked by an assistant superintendent; if so, will he create a vacancy for a firstclass superintendent in addition to the existing position of chief clerk.

(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) There are over ninety medical officers in (Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) the London postal district in addition to Since the adoption of changes recomthe headquarters staff. The preparation mended by the Select Committee the of the Return asked for by the hon. chief clerk at Cork has been styled Member would involve considerable" superintendent." His regular duties labour, without, as it appears to me, are similar to those performed by officers leading to any very useful result.

Duties of Chief Clerk at Cork Post Office. MR. A. ROCHE: To ask the Postmaster-General, if he will state what are

of the same rank at other offices of equal importance, and in the ordinary course it has been necessary, since the early part of last year, to require him to devote a part of his time to the carrying

out of changes in connection with the at Cork are at present daily performing, organisation and arrangements of the for considerable periods, the work of office. In accordance with the usual ordinary operators. Indeed, under normal practice, some of his ordinary routine conditions the present force of sorting work has been delegated to the officer clerks and telegraphists on the telegraph next in rank to him on the postal side. side at Cork is in excess of the requireA revision of the indoor force is now in ments, and it is proposed to adjust it in hand, and the question of the sufficiency connection with a revision now in hand. or otherwise of the supervising staff Of course, on exceptional occasions, it is will be duly considered. not at all unusual for a supervising officer at any office to render temporary assistance at the instruments for a short time, provided that the proper supervision of the duties is not thereby interfered with, and this seems to have been the case at Cork.

Subsistence Allowance at Cork Post
Office.

MR. A. ROCHE: To ask the Postmaster General whether a subsistence allowance is given to established officers on temporary relief duty; and, if so, will he explain why this subsistence allowance has been withheld from three juniors clerks in the Cork Post Office who were appointed to the establishment whilst on relief duty.

(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) It is the case that an allowance for subsistence is given to established officers when sent out for temporary duty at places other than their headquarters. The three officers referred to by the hon. Member were learners at Cork when they accepted the offer of temporary employment elsewhere, and for such employment they were paid the usual inclusive wages of 25s. a week. In each case their appointment to the establishment was made after their return to Cork, but was allowed to bear an earlier date in consideration of their long service as learner.

Overseers performing Operators work at
Cork Post Office.

MR. A. ROCHE: To ask the Postmaster-General if the superintendent of telegraphs and some of the overseers in the Cork telegraphs are at present daily performing, for considerable periods, the work of ordinary telegraph operators, and, if so, will he consider the necessity of increasing the Cork telegraph staff, as the employment of these officials as operators is an economic loss to the Department.

(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) The hon. Member appears to have been misinformed. I am assured that it is not a fact that the superintendent of telegraphs and some of the overseers

MR. BYLES (Salford, N.): To ask the Postmaster-General, if he is aware that the superintending engineer at Manchester is bringing a mechanic on duty one and a half hours earlier than the stated hour for commencing duty and refuses to pay overtime for the extra time worked; and will he give instructions that overtime be paid.

(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) The mechanic in question was brought on duty one hour before his usual time from the 20th to the 30th ultimo and released an hour before his usual time of departure; on the 31st ultimo and 1st instant, he was brought on duty an hour and a half before his usual time and released correspondingly early. His normal hours of duty were in no case exceeded, and the question of payment for overtime does not therefore arise.

Alleged Sweating in the Post Office. MR. JOHN O'DONNELL (Mayo, S.): To ask the Postmaster-General whether at the inquiry into the grievances of Post Office officials in 1906, a distinct promise was made by the Secretary to the Post Office that all assistants employed at head offices and at sub-offices paid on the head-office system would be forthwith placed on the establishment; whether, considering these assistants have been and are still performing exactly similar duties to the established force, they are still obliged to work on Sundays without payment, and during sickness one-third of their pay is stopped, and a reduced

rate of payment is made them for work | two and six of these houses, respectively, performed on Bank Holidays and Christ- being paid before the end of the year. mas Day; if so, when will these officials be placed on the established force; whether their appointments will date from the time the promise was made, and whether an immediate stop will be put to the sweating or cheap labour system in the Post Office.