§ CAPTAIN NORTON (Newington, W.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether, with a view to carrying out his promises with respect to the Customs catchers, he will further consider he advisability of recommending that he former rate of overtime—namely, eightpence per hour—be restored o the watchers when requested by the merchant, dock company, or wharfinger to attend in excess of the legal warehousing hours, seeing that watchers practically cannot now make overtime chargeable to the Crown; whether he will allow the watcher to receive the cab allowance when remaining on duty up to midnight, or when attending at 6 a.m. on the merchant's request, as was formerly the practice, seeing that the concession made in this respect as to attendance it 5 a.m. will not benefit more than about 20 men in the port of London; and whether, in lieu of the uniform cap now provided, he will cause he watcher to be supplied with a similar uniform to that issued to the new class of messenger (temporary) now being appointed to the Customs and taking the place of watchers and boy messengers?
§ MR. HANBURYThe present conditions of employment have been carefully considered, and I cannot hold out any expectation that those relating to rate of overtime payments, or night employment, will be altered, except in respect of attendance at 5 a.m. or earlier, for which two hours' overtime will be allowed for disturbance instead of one. The number of watchers who remain in Customs employment for only short periods is so large that the proposal to give uniform cannot be entertained.