§ MR. BRADLAUGH (Northampton)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he can state the reason why the standard of qualification for the entry of engineer students was raised this year, and why, since the examination, that standard has been lowered to that of last year; and how many candidates attained the higher standard of qualification, and how many inferior candidates have been, or are to be, accepted below that standard?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Lord G. HAMILTON,) Middlesex, EalingThe standard of qualification for the entry of engineer students was raised this year, because the advantages offered by the engineering branch of the Navy were such as to justify the Admiralty in believing that a more capable class than heretofore would compete. This expectation was justified in the main. This standard still remains in force; but, as I explained before, six candidates who came up to the previous standard were specially entered in order to complete the number of entries required for the year.