§ Mr. SNOWDEN (Blackburn)To ask the Secretary to the Treasury if he is aware of the measures taken by the Postmaster-General to retain boy messengers in the service of the Post Office; and whether, seeing that the reasons against discharging boy messengers at the age of eighteen apply with greater force to the case of boy clerks discharged through no fault of their own at the age of twenty, he will take immediate action to improve the position of boy clerks, about 600 of whom are discharged annually owing to the lack of permanent posts available.
(Answered by Mr. Runciman.) The position of boy clerks in the Civil Service is at present under consideration; and I am not able to make any statement as to the conclusion which will be arrived at.