§ Mr. BOLANDasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the difference existing between the Customs and Excise conditions of service, steps will be taken to secure to Excise officers a working day of eight hours between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at all warehouses under the control of the Board, and to restrict the hours of attendance on general stations to a daily maximum of eight hours or a weekly maximum of forty-eight hours?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEI am unable to make any statement on this subject pending the Report of the Committee on the amalgamation of the Customs and Excise services.
§ Mr. BOLANDasked the Secretary to the Treasury how many officers of Customs have been transferred to the Excise branch of the customs and Excise Department for duty, and how many Excise officers have been transferred to the Customs branch for duty, since the issue of the Excise Transfer Order in Council; how many of the officers have now been returned to their respective departments; whether the return of the officers to their respective departments indicated difficulty in fusing the duties and grades; and whether he will consider the desirability of retaining for the present the two services on an independent footing under the Board of Customs and Excise, as was the case with the Excise and taxes services under the Board of Inland Revenue prior to the transfer of the Excise to the Customs?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSESixty-three Excise officials were lent to the Customs at different times during 1909, and all have since been returned to the Excise side. One hundred and four Customs officials were lent to the Excise during 1910, and fifty-nine have since been returned to the Customs side. The return of these officials to their respective branches was determined by the exigencies of the work at the time, and cannot be taken as indicating difficulty in fusing the duties and grades. Pending the Report of the Committee on Customs and Excise amalgamation, I am unable to make any statement in regard to the concluding part of the hon. Member's question.
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§ Mr. BOLANDasked the Secretary to the Treasury what was the number of first-class examining officers, second-class examining officers, and assistants provided for in the Estimates of the Customs and Excise services for 1910–11; what is the actual number in each grade at present; and whether complaints of understating have been made to the Board owing to the reduction in the establishment?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThe figures are as follows:—
— Estimate Nos. 1910–11. Actual No. in each grade at present time. Examining Officers, 1st Class 274 260 Examining Officers, 2nd Class 833 823 Assistants (Customs) 451 362 Complaints have been made and are under the Board's consideration. Pending the Report of the Amalgamation Committee, it is desirable to keep down existing numbers in view of possible reductions when the Customs and Excise staffs are completely fused.