§ Mr. PERKINSasked the First Lord of the Admiralty the number of clerks in the employment of the Admiralty who have' not obtained their appointments after open competition?
§ Mr. McKENNAI presume that the clerks to whom the hon. Gentleman refers are those employed at Whitehall, of whom 252 have not obtained their appointments by open competition. This number does not include the forty-five assistant clerks who obtained their present positions by limited competitive examinations conducted by the Civil Service Commissioners, but entered the Government service originally as boy clerks by open competitive examination.