§ MR. CREMER (Shoreditch, Haggerston)To ask the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that learners in the 1155 Central Telegraph Office, London, after having passed the necessary tests, have had their appointments withheld on the grounds that youths who were higher in the list at the literary examination had not received appointments; if so, will he say whether it is the intention of the Department that learners who show special aptitude in telegraphy should not receive the benefit of their industry; and whether he will inquire into the circumstances of the cases.
(Answered by Lord Stanley.) The general practice throughout the service is that, when a vacancy occurs in the established class, a selection is made amongst the learners who have qualified in telegraphy, and the one who stood highest in the literary examination is appointed. I am aware that in some cases the preference has been given to the learner who passed the test in telegraphy first; but I consider that the general practice, as I have described it, should be maintained.