asked the Postmaster-General if his attention has been drawn to the unsatisfactory outgoing mail service from Ballintoy, County Antrim; if he is aware that letters are despatched from Ballintoy at 3.5 p.m., which is too late for their inclusion in the last outgoing mail from Ballycastle, which leaves at 3.45 p.m.; that the failure to connect with the last train from Ballycastle has the effect of causing a delay of a day in the delivery of the Ballintoy letters to a majority of the places to which they are addressed; that the retardation of the outgoing mail service from Ballintoy only began during the War, and that before that event the service was satisfactory; that if the postman left Ballintoy at 2 p.m., as he did before the War, thereby giving him time to catch the Ballycastle train at 3.45, this grievance, which causes inconvenience to the inhabitants of Ballintoy and to summer visitors, would be removed; and whether he will make the necessary arrangements to revert to the old hour of despatch of the mails in question?

Owing to alterations in the train service mails now reach Ballycastle later and have to be despatched earlier than before the War, and the postman who serves Ballintoy does not complete his delivery in time to return to Ballycastle before the despatch of the outgoing afternoon mail. I am afraid that with the existing train service it is not feasible to remedy this, but I am having further inquiry made.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that at Magheraleave, near Lisburn, County Antrim, letters which before and during the War and up till 1925 were delivered at 8.30 a.m. are not delivered until 9.45 a.m., and that in the same district there is no delivery from 9.45 on Saturday morning until 9.45 on Monday morning; and whether, in view of the inconvenience caused to residents in the district, most of whom leave their homes before 9 o'clock and who consequently do not get their correspondence till they return in the evening, he will have the beats of the letter-carriers re-arranged in such a way that the earlier delivery may be reverted to?

The delivery in the locality mentioned was made one hour later than formerly in connection with a re-arrangement of the services in the Lisburn postal area which it was found desirable to carry out last year. I understand that the delivery is still completed before 9.45 a.m. It appears doubtful whether any acceleration can be effected, but I am having further inquiry made and will write to my hon. and gallant Friend.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that Messrs. Boswell and Son, market gardeners, of Pershore, Worcester, sent 2,250 lbs. of cabbages to Covent Garden Market, receiving nothing in return but a debit note for 3s. 6d.; whether he is aware that these cabbages were retailed at l½d. each; and whether, in view of the strictures of the Linlithgow Committee upon the Covent Garden monopoly, it is proposed to introduce legislation to ensure more reasonable marketing methods?

My attention has been called to a statement in the Press, but no formal complaint has been addressed to my Department. As the hon. Member is no doubt aware, following the recommendations of the Linlithgow Committee thorough investigations into the marketing of agricultural and horticultural produce are being carried out by the Ministry, the results of which are being published in a special Economic Series of Reports. As part of these investigations, an inquiry is now in progress into the marketing of vegetables, and I hope that, by bringing out the defects and weaknesses of the existing marketing machinery, the inquiry will point the way to reform. The attention of those responsible for the inquiry has been directed to the incident in question.