§ 35. Sir JOHN SPEARasked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he has received a petition from employés of the Army Ordnance depots asking that the practice of appointing temporary lieutenants, who have no experience of the work, as supervisors be discontinued, and that from these employés men with many years' service and knowledge of the work be appointed for the purpose of supervision; and when will an answer be given to the petition?
§ Mr. TENNANTA petition was forwarded last October through the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command, from certain employés of one of the Army Ordnance depots in the Command, and was dealt with in connection with the question of providing additional supervising grades at the various depots. No general petition has been received, and it appeared at the time that the views of the petitioners were not shared by the corresponding grades of another large depot in the same Command. I explained to the hon. Member privately, in correspondence last November, the policy of the Department on this question, and subsequent experience has confirmed the military authorities in the view that the course adopted was the one best suited to all the circumstances of the case.