§ Mr. COWANasked the Postmaster-General whether, seeing that girl probationers for the telegraph and telephone 745W Departments can be accepted only if they are over 14 and under 15 years of age, he will consider whether the Regulalations could not be altered by;substituting 16 for 15, and thereby affording entrants greater opportunity of completing a reasonable course of day-school education?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSAll satisfactory girl probationers are promised a. permanent career in the Post Office; and in order that they may be absorbed into adult situations it is necessary to keep their number at a minimum and therefore to recruit them at a comparatively early age. Arrangements are made for their attendance at educational classes till they reach the age of 16. I regret that I am not prepared to extend the upper age limit from 15 to 16.