§ Mr. DORISasked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will give the date of the first notice issued by the Civil Service Commissioners for an open competition for statistical abstractors in the Civil Service, which was subsequently withdrawn; and whether he will state what were the conditions specified in the regulations appertaining thereto for the successful candidates as regards maximum salary, rate of superannuation, and age for retirement; and whether such regulations remained applicable to writers or copyists subsequently nominated by heads of Departments for promotion to appointments in the abstractor class?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThe first notice issued by the Civil Service Commissioners for an open competition for abstractors was dated 30th January, 1891, and a notice three days later cancelled the competition. No competition was held until May, 1894, and that competition was limited to registered men copyists under sixty, and was held under conditions notified in April, 1894. No good object would appear to be served by reproducing the conditions specified nearly twenty years ago for an examination which never took place.