Irish Post Offices - Exhibition of
Emigration Notices.
MR. THOMAS O'DONNELL: I beg to ask the Postmaster
-General whether the postmasters in Ireland are
asked to exhibit in a prominent place cards inviting
Irishmen to emigrate to Canada; if so, will he state
when this practice was initiated; and whether,
considering the national desire which exists in
Ireland to do everything to check emigration, steps
will be taken to have those cards taken down from
Irish post offices.
MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN: I can add nothing to the
information I gave in reply to the hon. Member's
similar Question on Monday last.
MR. THOMAS O'DONNELL: I am afraid the right hon.
Gentleman has not fully understood my Question. It
is - Will he take down these cards in the Irish
post offices only?
MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN: That is the Question I
answered last Monday. I said that they were
exhibited in all offices throughout the United
Kingdom, and had been so since 1848. I saw no
reason to change the practice.
MR. THOMAS O'DONNELL: But have cards asking
Irishmen to emigrate been exhibited since 1848? I
am told not.
MR. LOUGH: Considering the exceptional
circumstances of Ireland with regard to the loss of
population, could not an exception be made in the
case of that country?
MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN: Since 1848 it has been
the practice in all offices throughout the United
Kingdom to exhibit papers giving information likely
to be of use to people wishing to emigrate. That
has been done in regard to Canada since 1869. The
Post Office does not advise people to emigrate, and
I do not see why it should withhold information of
this kind from those to whom it may be of use.
MR. THOMAS O'DONNELL: And since 1848, 4,000,000
of the Irish people have emigrated.
MR. SPEAKER: Order! order. The Question on the
Paper has been fully answered.
MR. THOMAS O'DONNELL: But not satisfactorily.
