§ MR. STEADMAN (Finsbury, Central)To ask the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that ex-soldiers have been given employment as telegraphists in the Central Telegraph Office, and have been paid commencing wages of 24s. per week, although being considerably over twenty-five years of age; whether he will state the salary that men, entering as learners and proceeding up the scale in the usual way, would receive at the same age as the ex-soldiers recently introduced; and whether he will state the reason for using the services of ex-soldiers to depress the standard of telegraphists' wages by employing them at a much smaller salary than the scale advertised by the Civil Service Com missioners when announcing open competitive examinations.
(Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) As the hon. Gentleman is aware for many years past the Post Office has been bound to reserve a certain proportion of vacancies in certain grades of Post Office employment for ex-soldiers and ex-sailors, which has much restricted the openings for ex-telegraph messengers. Under a recent arrangement with the War Office, while the number of vacancies allotted to ex-soldiers and ex-sailors will in no way be increased, the Post master-General will have a freer hand in deciding what particular places shall be filled by them, thus enabling him to set free a larger number of vacancies to be filled by ex-telegraph messengers. As regards the ex-soldiers in question, the pay of 24s. given to them is merely probationary, and designed to support them while they are in the position of learners. The men are well aware that in due course they will, if they give complete satisfaction, be appointed to the establishment as telegraphists, and the point at which they enter the ordinary scale will then be fixed according to their experience and qualifications, and the value of their services. There is no question of placing them on a different 338 scale from that in force for telegraphists in general.