§ SIR GEORGE BADEN-POWELL (Liverpool, Kirkdale)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he can state, in regard to the extra men employed by Her Majesty's Customs in Liverpool, what is the average pay earned per day at the present time, and what are the average hours per day of employment per man; what is the longest period of consecutive hours on which an extra man has been employed on duty in the port of Liverpool during the present year, and what wages did he earn for the task; and whether he has had any specific grievances of these extra men brought to his notice; and, if so, will they be carefully considered?
§ * MR. HANBURYThe average pay earned per day by the extra Officers of Customs at Liverpool, in a recent and fairly representative week, was 2s. l0d. per day including overtime, or 2s. 6d. per day excluding overtime, and the average hours of employment per man per day for the same period were 7¼ hours with overtime, or 6½ hours without overtime. The longest period of consecutive hours on which an extra officer has been employed on duty in the port of Liverpool during the present year is reported to have occurred on the 13th-14th June, on which days, from entirely exceptional circumstances, a consecutive attendance of 32 hours was given by one man—the total wages earned, inclusive of overtime, for this prolonged attendance being returned at 16s. 8d. He was in charge of a lighter which ought to have sailed from Liverpool at 5 p.m., but was detained there by the merchants till four the next morning. His duty during the night would not have been such as to prevent his getting a night's rest. Measures have been taken, however, for preventing the recurrence of similar lengthened attendances. The specific grievances of these extra officers have recently been under the consideration of the Board of Customs, but they have not made them the subject of representations to the Treasury.