§ Mr. CLAUDE HAYasked the Postmaster-General whether he will explain why an assistant surveyor, whose maximum scale of pay was £525, was appointed postmaster of Portsmouth at a salary of £675; and whether, seeing that he had previously been passed over for promotion to a surveyorship and had been passed over 2421W for promotion to a surveyorship every time a vacancy had occurred during the last three or four years, he will say why he was not promoted in his own class instead of being promoted over the heads of ail postmasters throughout the country?
§ Mr. BUXTONThe officer referred to is in my judgment well qualified by ability, experience, and industry for the important postmastership to which I appointed him. It is a misconception to speak of him as having been promoted over the heads of other postmasters. The post in question was one open to all officers of the Post Office.