§ Mr. CHARLES DUNCANasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the announcement that it was intended to introduce a scheme for Customs, examining officers and assistants which would render more hopeful the claims of that deserving class, and that the questions still remaining to be decided by the Customs and Excise Amalgamation Committee are extremely complicated and require most careful consideration, he will give immediate effect to the provisions of the scheme proposed for that class?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEI regret to be unable to make any statement on this subject, in anticipation of the Report of the Committee in question, which is practically complete.
§ Mr. CHARLES DUNCANasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether the committee of inquiry into the amalgamation of the Customs and Excise Department had been informed of the recent large number of promotions of assistants to second-class officer, second to first-class officer, and of other ranks in the Excise branch of the service; whether the committee of inquiry had 1285 given its sanction to these promotions; and whether, in view of the dissatisfaction prevailing in the Customs branch owing to differentiation in the treatment of the two branches, he will cause all promotions or appointments in both branches of the service to be suspended until the report of the inquiry committee is issued?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThe promotions in question have been made by the Board of Customs and Excise in the ordinary course of administration, and I am not prepared to take the action suggested.