The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-05-26 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

The HOUSE OF COMMONS met on Monday after the Whitsun
recess, the re-assembling of the House of Lords being
deferred till Thursday. The attendance of members was
Very small, amongst the absentees being the Prime Minister.
Bit S. Northcote was in his place with a fair muster of ex-
Ministers Amonsest the Ministers present were Lord
Martington, Sir C. Dilke, Mr, Chamberlain, Sir W. Haroourt,
Mr. Fawcett, Mr. Trovelyan, Mr. Cross, and the Attorney-
General for Ireland.
The questions to Ministers being comparatively few and
Unimportant, the House went into Committee of Supply
Shortly after live o'c ock, and proceeded with the considera-
tion of the Civil Service Estimates.
On the kr the purchase of a site for the new
.Admiralty An I V' a-office buildings, Mr. S. Lefevre explained
that the t') a cost of the new buildings would he about
teoo,ooo, lull let when the Admiralty and War-office were
brought dui r one roof there would be an immediate annual
laVilig of zle,ooo.
THE PARCELS POST.
On the vote io complete the sum of 4,334,312 for the
/Revenue Dspartment buildings,

Sir H. Wroth wished to know how it was that this vote
ehowrd an incrsase of £5,000 over that of last year He
complained that they should be having new buildings
erected in different parts of the country for the Inland
Revenue Department, and no explanation given to the House
With regard to them.
Sire- Balfour thought the charge in respect to new build-
MSS Vtryl !g e, and pointed out that it was increasing every
ger, nearly 4E00,000 having been expended on new buildings
the course of the last five years.
Mr. Sclater•Booth desired some detailed information re.
fgarding the way in which it was proposed to carry the
Parcels post into praetical operation, and the probable cost
this important change would, in the first instance, entail.
There was, he remarked, a good deal of anxiety felt in the
country as to whether the efficiency of the present Post
Office service would or would not be prejudiced by the new
business. There was great celerity and regularity in the
_despatch and delivery of letters, and there was a fear lest
the Post Office was about to enter upon an undertaking too
elaborate and complicated.
Mr. Shaw-Lefevre said it wa quite true there had been a
• Continued increase in this vote for years past, and the in.
Crease was likely to continue as long as the Post Office bust-
buss went on increasing at the present rate. The increase
due to the parcels post alone in the present year was £16,000
In addition to this there was a sum of £25,000 saved out of
the vote of the previous year, making a total expenditure
Incurred, or being incurred, in anticipation of the parcels
POst Of £lOO,OOO. For that sum of money 200 post-offices
,Were being increased. In every part of the country, it had
been found necessary to enlarge offices in consequence of the
Introduction of the parcels post.
A discussion ensued, in the course of which Mr. Fawcett
bald it was only due to the Committee that they should have,
aa far as could be prepared, a detailed estimate of both the
expected revenue and the expenditure. that estimate was
being carefully prepared at the present moment, and he could
%azure the right hon, gentleman that there should be no delay
In Placing it on the table. He must, however, say that
although every care would be taken to give the Committee
the teat estimate possible, yet that it must, after, all be
delusory to a certain extent, because no two persons seemed
to agree as to the amount of business that was likely to be
done when the parcels post came into operation. Business
men generally believed that the Post-office authorities had
Made an extremely moderate estimate—in fact, that they
heunderestimated the extent of business that would be
done. (Hear. hear.) He could only say that if it turned out
that the estimate was too moderate the financial results
Would be much better than they anticipated. (Hear, hear.)
At present he saw no reason to alter the opinion he ex-
pressed some time ago, in answer to a question which was
Put to him, that in the first year the receipts from the
parcels post would cover the expenditure. (Hear, hear.)
this result was secured it would lie very satisfactory.
The right hon. member for North Hampshire said a certain
feeling of uneasiness was growing up as to the effect of the
Parcels post on the letter service of the country, but he had
been told that in other countries—in Germany, and even in
India—experience did not justify that uneasiness. The
Postmaster-General of India told him a few days ago that
In that empire, where much heavier weights were carried
than were proposed in this case, the parcels post worked
With the utmost smoothness, and without the slighti st
difficulty. In Germany, also, the system worked well, and
Under these circumstances he saw no reason why it should
tot soon get into good working order in England. (Hear,
hear.) As far as the letter service in the rural districts
Was concerned, he was of opinion—and that opinion was
Shared by many practical officers of the Post Office
Who could speak with authority on the point—that the in-
troduction of the parcels post would not he at all disad-
vantageous to it; on the contrary, one of the chief advan-
tages they anticipated from the new system was that it
Would tend to improve the letter service in those districts
It was obvious that if foot messengers were replaced by
.mounted messengers, as would be the case in many instances,
letters would arrive one or two hours sooner and be de
-
'Patched one or two hours sooner than at present. (Hear.)
Ibis was one of the reasons that had made him so anxious
to see the parcels post brought into working order.
Mr. Sclater-Booth thought the explanation made by the
Postmaster-General was satisfactory, and hoped his ant:el-
l:adieus would be realized in the working of the parcels
Post.
Mr. Cowen asked whether the arrangements were so far
advanced as to permit of the carrying out of the scheme at
an early date:
Mr. Fawcett: On the Ist of August.
After some further discussion the vote was agreed to.
Several other votes having been agreed to, progress was
reported at half-past twelve, and the House resumed
The Constabulary and Police (Ireland) Pay and Pensions
bill and toe Canal Boats Act (1887) Amendment Dill were
read a second time, and the House adjourned at one o'clock.