Sir GILBERT PARKERasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has assured himself that the pay of the third and fourth-class clerks of the Port of London Authority, who were previously under the London and India Docks Company, have not suffered by the new classification of the staff; will he give his consideration to a detailed statement showing the inequalities which these third and fourth-class clerks suffer from at the present time; and will he receive a deputation upon the matter?
Mr. BUXTONAs I informed the hon. Member for Bow and Bromley on 14th August last, the Port of London Authority have by their recent classification slightly improved the pay of these clerks. I understand that although the maxima of the two classes remain as before they are reached in a shorter time, and I am also informed that, as intimated in my former reply, the Port Authority will shortly promote a considerable number of these 875 clerks to higher grades. If the hon. Member likes to give me a detailed statement on the subject I will obtain the observations of the Port Authority on it, but I do not think there would be any advantage in my receiving a deputation.