§ SIR WILLIAM CUNINGHAMEasked the Secretary to the Treasury, Whether his attention has been directed to the circumstances under which the office of distributor of Stamps at Greenock is to be transferred to the Excise; whether those employed in that office are to be discharged without notice; whether interim appointments are not usually made in such cases in order to give those in the office time to find other employment; and, whether he will not be so good as to direct that there should be some delay in this case, seeing that some of those employed have served many years?
§ SIR HENRY SELWIN-IBBETSONSir, the transfer is taking place in consequence of the death of the late distributor, and is in accordance with the practice which has been followed for the last 10 or 12 years. The clerks employed by the late distributor were in his, not in the public, service, and their connection with the business of stamp distribution ceases because of his ceasing to be distributor. Interim appointments are sometimes made in these cases; but only when the interests of the service require such appointments, and not merely "to give those in the office time to find other employment." In the present case, the collector of Inland Revenue is ready to take over the business at once, and as considerable economy will result, I should not be justified in delaying the transfer.
§ SIR WILLIAM CUNINGHAMEWill the employés be discharged without any notice at all?
§ SIR HENRY SELWIN-IBBETSONThey are not employés of the Government. The employé of the Govern- 396 ment up to this time has been the distributor. He is dead. Those persons are connected with the office as his servants, and on his death they ceased to be in connection in reality with the office.