§ MR. TUITEI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in the interests of the Public Service, the Government will consent to heads of Departments granting the writers a half-holiday on every Saturday in those Departments where such privilege is allowed to the Upper and Lower Division clerks; and whether in those Departments where the half-holiday is allowed on every Saturday to Upper and Lower Division clerks, it is the wish of the Government that the writers engaged in such Department shall have the half-holiday granted to them only on alternate Saturdays, although in most cases the writers have rendered longer service than the Lower Division clerks, and were for 14 or 15 years in some Departments allowed such half-holiday on every Saturday?
§ MR. JACKSONThe Order in Council of March 21, 1890, only authorises heads of Departments to, allow Second Division clerks of half-holidays on alternate Saturdays provided that public business will permit; and heads of Departments have, as far as I know, no authority to go out outside the Order in Council. In these circumstances, the Chancellor of the Exchequer is unable to make any further concession to copyists in respect of Saturday half-holidays.