§ MR. FIELDI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether he is aware that for eleven years no sorting clerk has been promoted from the Holyhead and Kingstown packet; that some, of the senior men have, refused promotion as affecting their superannuation allowance; that the remainder of the packet staff have during that period been passed over; and that in answer to a paper submitted in 1899, the Controller wrote that the applicants' cases had been considered, and that their supervising officers, who were aware of their capabilities, could not recommend any of them; whether he is aware that in the previous year the senior supervising officer recommended some officers for promotion, notwithstanding which junior men were, promoted, one of whom some time, previously had been removed from the packet for incompetence; and whether, having regard to the stagnation of promotion from the packet service, he can say what steps he proposes to take in this matter.
§ MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINIt is not the fact that for eleven years past no sorting clerk actually employed on the, Holyhead and Kingstown Packet duty has been promoted. One sorting clerk was so promoted in 1894. Certain of the senior men so employed have expressed their unwillingness to leave the packet duty, in order that their qualifications for promotion might be properly tested, not because their superannuation allowance would thereby be affected, but because their allowance for packet duty is so lucrative that promotion would not carry with it any immediate benefit. In certain promotions 1324 made during the past few years a number of officers employed in the packets were passed over because they were, not considered to be the, fittest persons to perform the duties of the posts to be filled. It is the case that in 1898 the senior assistant superintendent on the packet service, recommended that three of the officers working on that duty should be tested in other duties, to see whether they were fit for promotion. But of these three officers one was unwilling to undergo the test, and the qualifications of the other two were not such as to bring them into comparison with the, officers actually promoted. One of the officers promoted in 1899 had been tried on packet duty, but was found unfitted by reason of his age. He was, however, certified to be an exceptionally good officer as regards the general duties of the sorting office, and to be the best qualified for promotion. The claims of men working in the packet service are always considered with those of others, and they have the same chances of promotion.