§ CAPTAIN NORTON (Newington, W.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, with reference to the recent advertisement in the London daily papers for clerks for employment in the Statistical Office, Custom House, at initial salaries of 30s. a week, whether, considering the fact that the initial salary of Second Division Clerks is only equivalent to 27s. a week, and that there are a number of such clerks at the present time awaiting employment at the Civil Service Commission, he can state the reason why the services of these Second Division Clerks are not utilised in the Statistical Office, and the corresponding saving of salary effected?
§ MR. HANBURYThere are only eight unappointed Second Division Clerks, and all of these are already in Civil Service employment, mainly as temporary Copyists. Even had such clerks been available, their employment in the Statistical Office would have been open to considerable objection. The work of the Office requires some preliminary training, and to assign it to unappointed Second Division Clerks who are liable to be withdrawn at a week's notice would mean a continuous and inconvenient exchange of trained for untrained officers.