§ SIR G. KEKEWICH (Exeter)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether, seeing that numerous intending candidates for boy clerkships who have been studying for examination under the present regulations and who are over sixteen years of age would be precluded by the new regulations from going in for examination, he can arrange that one more examination shall be held to which candidates up to seventeen years of age will be admitted.
§ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. HOBHOUSE, Bristol, E.)It was announced in July that the competition for boy clerkships held last September would be the last held under the old regulations. Boys who have passed the new age limit of sixteen are eligible to compete for the second division and all the subjects prescribed for the examination for boy clerkships find a place in the scheme of examination for the second division. I am informed that it is undesirable to delay the introduction of the new scheme and impracticable to combine the proposed higher limit of entry with the reduce period of service.