§ MR. SEELYsaid, he would beg to ask, Whether any changes have been made in the salaries of the Clerks of the Customs House; and, if so, whether there is any objection to state the nature of them, and whether the changes would extend to the outdoor Clerks?
§ MR. CHILDERSsaid, in reply, that there were about 600 clerks in the London Customs, and several memorials having been addressed to the Treasury, the case of each had been very carefully inquired into by himself, the Chairman of the Board of Customs, and the Chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue. A new scale of salaries was to be substituted for the one now in force, and would be seen in the Estimates for the Revenue Department. He might say in general terms that there were in the warehousing department of the Customs 270 junior clerks and officers. The former were now divided into six classes, with salaries commencing at £75 a year, and rising by £5 a year to £120, and their maximum was £260. It was proposed in future to divide them into three classes, rising by £10 a year after the first two years from a minimum of £80 to a maximum of £300. The principal clerks would rise to £350, instead of £300. The controllers and assistant controllers would begin at £360, instead of £320, and would rise to £500, instead of £450 a year. In the Inspector General's and Examiner's Offices there were about 220 junior clerks and chief clerks. The 1198 former now began with £75, and only rose by £5 to £170. He proposed to divide them also into three classes, and apply the same arrangement to them as to the clerks in the warehousing department. A main feature of the scheme would be very advantageous to the public service generally, for it was proposed to substitute for a large number of the junior clerks a class who were to be called writers, who would be paid daily or weekly, and who would not be considered in the same station as the gentlemen who were popularly called clerks in the public offices. That plan had already been adopted with great success at the Admiralty, and it was found greatly to increase the flow of promotion. With regard to the outports, he proposed to examine the question with the same minuteness as in London. He had already gone through the Liverpool Custom House, and he hoped during the next month to go through the whole department of the Customs at the outports. There were about 250 or 300 clerks at these outports, He proposed to move for a Copy of the Treasury Minute which, with the Estimates, would give the House all the information it required.
§ SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTEsaid, he wished to ask whether there would be any Minute as to the status of the body of writers?
§ MR. CHILDERSsaid, that the Treasury Minute would explain it, but there were details as to increase in wages and superannuation which had not been definitely fixed.