§ SIR HENRY HOAREasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer Why, in the case of the forty or fifty clerks of the Custom House who are about to be reduced, the same principle should not be adopted as in other departments, viz. that they should be placed on a redundant list and absorbed as vacancies arise; more especially taking into consideration the fact that these gentlemen had all to pass a competitive examination and believed their situations to be permanent?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERreplied that the difficulty of the case was the difficulty that had occurred since the Civil Service of the Crown had been thrown open to public competition. The Government were willing, however, to give a favourable consideration to the case of these persons, and would endeavour to provide for them as far as they could without unfairly stopping the progress of competition and inflicting injury on those who were preparing for examination.