asked the Postmaster-General whether he can give any idea as to when postal arrangements for the County Cavan will again assume normal conditions; whether he is aware that it frequently takes two days to get a letter from Dublin to either Cavan or Belturbet, which two years ago only required twelve hours; whether the first delivery of letters (except local) in either towns mentioned is not before 12 (noon), when formerly letters were delivered from the local offices at 7.30 a.m.; whether a similar state of affairs prevails in Ballyconnell district; to ask whether it is intended to restore to normal the times of despatch and delivery of letters in those districts.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - CAVAN POSTAL FACILITIES.
Letters posted in Dublin in time for inclusion in despatches thence by the 6.30 p.m. train fall into deliveries at Cavan, Belturbet, and Ballyconnell commencing at 7.0 a.m., 7.30 a.m., and 1.45 p.m., respectively, on the following day. If posted too late for despatch by that train they are forwarded by the 6.45 a.m. train on the following day and fall into deliveries commencing at Cavan at 12.30 p.m., and at Belturbet at 12.45 p.m. on that day. One delivery is the normal arrangement at Ballyconnell, and the time of delivery is dependent upon the train service. With the present train service an earlier delivery is not practicable. There are two despatches from Cavan and Belturbet and one from Ballyconnell on week-days, and this is the normal number. Despatches are made from these offices by the latest trains which afford connections to Dublin, etc.
Is the P.M.G. aware that previously the collection was made at 7 o'clock in the evening? At the present time letters are not delivered until two, and the collection is made at 4. This leaves little time for business-men to answer their letters. In other places the letters are delivered at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and collected at 12, so it takes a day to answer letters. Would it be convenient to collect the Cavan letters to get connections by the night goods trains as formerly?
It is unusual for us to utilise goods trains for the conveyance of mails, and I do not think any good purpose would be served by the utilisation of this particular one, because there are no connections to be made.