§ 27. Mr. HUNTasked whether, seeing that Mr. Slingo, the engineer-in-chief to the Post Office, stated in his evidence at the Holt Committee that the outside men brought into the engineering branch of the Post Office from the university had not come up to the anticipations formed of them, the system of bringing young, inexperienced men from the universities will be discontinued?
§ Captain NORTONThe system under which competitions for engineerships in the Post Office were limited to university candidates was discontinued over two years ago. For the future recruitment of engineers it is proposed to adopt the recommendations of the recent Select Committee on Post Office Servants.
§ Mr. HUNTDoes the hon. Gentleman still hold that the qualification of these men from the universities are superior to those of the men who have been rejected, many of whom have been stated by the Postmaster-General to be suitable for the posts?
§ Captain NORTONNo. We found that we were not getting a desirable class of men from the universities, and we discontinued the system two years ago.