§ MR. KEARLEY (Devonport)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether Her Majesty's Government, in appointing to vacancies in the various Government departments, would preferentially consider the cases of the dependents of officers and soldiers who had been killed in action or died from wounds or disease contracted on active service, before selecting other candidates for clerkships, typewriterships, and messengerships in the public service.
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.Other things being equal, any appointed authority would be anxious to find suitable employment for the dependents of men who have died in the service of their country. But, of course, I cannot hold out the possibility of upsetting the basis on which appointments throughout the service generally rest.