§ MR. ARCHIBALD GROVEI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury can he state what is the total number of vacancies that have occurred in the rank of second-class examining officer of Customs through death, superannuation, and promotion to higher grades, between 15th August last and the present time; will he explain why it is that, notwithstanding the large number of vacancies that have thus occurred, only five promotions to that class have been made during the period; also why, of the 55 out-door officers who qualified for promotion to the rank of examining officer at an examination held in September last, not one has been appointed, although these men have a service varying from 13 to 20 years; and whether the Board of Customs would consider the advisability of at once filling these vacancies?
§ *SIR JOHN HIBBERTTwenty-one vacancies have occurred since August 15th, six of which have been filled by promoting first-class outdoor officers from the list of those who qualified at an examination in April, 1894, that list not having yet been exhausted. The remaining vacancies having been kept open, as I explained in an answer given on February 15, pending consideration of the effects of the revised system of keeping the warehouse accounts. This consideration has now been completed.