§ 75. Mr. CHARLES DUNCANasked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware 2123 that, notwithstanding his reply to a recent memorial that no obstacle would be placed in the way of assistant clerks serving in the Post Office engineering department seeking transfers to other Government Departments, assistant clerks who have arranged such transfers are being kept back, and the vacancies for which they applied are being filled by the Civil Service Commission with new entrants to the class; and will he say what action he proposes to take in the case of these clerks?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELRequests from other Government Departments for the services of assistant clerks employed in the Post Office engineering department have been complied with whenever the circumstances permitted. For some time the Civil Service Commissioners were unable to comply with requisitions for assistant clerks, and on account of the extreme pressure of work existing in the engineering department no assistant clerks could be spared for transfer until successors were available. I am not aware, however, of any case in which the transfer of an assistant clerk has fallen through owing to this cause.