The P.M.G.'s Apologia
An apologia is not the same thing as an apology. It is a defence, and may be a perfectly valid defence. Whether the Postmaster-General's statement on the difficulties he has to cope with savours more of the one or of the other is for the public to determine, though in fact where installations so tech- nical and complicated as the telephone system of a great city involves are concerned the average layman can form no more than tentative judgements at the best. To observe that the state of telephonic communication in London at present is distressing is saying no more than Mr. Morrison has said himself. The damage a single bomb can do to a nerve- centre in a system so elaborate needs no demonstration. All the public is concerned with is to know that the damage i, being repaired with the greatest expedition possible, and in view of the time some exchanges have been out of action a certain uneasiness regarding that is natural. It is satisfactory that Post Office engineers have been recalled from the Army to help in dealing with the crisis ; they can clearly do the best service at the moment at their original posts, and it is to be hoped they will be kept there while the need continues—which is likely to be as long as air-attacks on London go on. Mr. Morrison said nothing about postal delays. There has been a considerable improvement here, but letters to and from Ireland, both north and south, still seem to take an average of five days, and newspapers longer. This should certainly be looked into on both sides of the Irish Channel.
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