§ MR. ANDERSONasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, If he is 1236 aware that the dissatisfaction of the Custom House clerks with the position they are being placed in by the reorganization is increasing, and that the answers given have not reassured them; if he is aware that they look upon the new position as a direct violation of the conditions on which they entered the service of the Crown, though they are afraid to make individual complaints, believing that a black mark will be set against those who do so; and, what steps he proposes to take to assure the House and the Country that these men are being treated with justice?
§ MR. COURTNEYWe know of no reason that would lead us to suppose that any dissatisfaction exists among the Custom House clerks who have been transferred to the out-door department with the position in which they have been placed by the recent re-organization, nor have they, in our opinion, any reasonable ground for being dissatisfied. There is no ground for saying that the new position of such clerks is in direct violation of the conditions on which they entered the Service of the Crown, inasmuch as there was nothing in those conditions to prevent their being transferred to any other branch of the Customs Department for the good of the Public Service if unwilling to accept pensions. No impediment has been placed in the way of clerks affected by the change making fair and reasonable representations respecting their cases, individually or collectively, either to the Treasury or to the Board of Customs.