§ Mr FIELDasked the Secretary of the Treasury whether, in view of the announcement made by the Board of Customs, and approved by the Treasury, that it is impracticable to treat the two sections of assistant clerks in the Statistical Office separately for the purpose of promotion, that from the Departmental point of view the two must form one body, and, other things being equal, the senior men cannot be ignored, he will state the reason why, in filling up the recent vacancies in the port service class, which is the next rank in the Customs clerical establishment above the assistant clerks, the whole of the 36 men in the old or senior section of the assistant clerks class in the Statistical Office have been ignored by the promotion over their heads to those vacancies of four men from the new or junior section of assistant clerks
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEPromotions from the class of assistant clerks to port clerkships are only made on the ground of special merit. Several of the senior assistant clerks have received such promotion in the past, but the remaining seniors, whose case has been fully considered from time to time, are, I am informed, not of sufficient merit to justify their selection for these positions.