§ Sir CLEMENT KINLOCH - COOKEasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention had been called to the fact that men who had served as apprentices in Devonport Dockyard and become established are placed at a disadvantage in respect to their pensions compared with men who had entered as yard boys and become established; and whether, seeing that the apprentices had to pass a competitive examination and yard boys do not, he would take the necessary steps to introduce such amendments as in his opinion may be necessary in the Superannuation Act of 1887 to remove this disadvantage, the disadvantage being that the former class of workman was only allowed to count his hired time for pension at the earliest from the age of twenty, while the latter class of workman had the privilege of counting his time for pension from the age of sixteen, thereby gaining two extra years?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEI regret that I am unable to agree to any change in the existing conditions.