§ Mr. DEVLINasked how many cases of those who were Queen's scholars during the two years 1899–1900, when it was shown 163W that the new scale of salaries of the Commissioners of National Education worked inequitably, were given special consideration; in how many cases was special consideration refused; and the number of such Queen's scholars who were paid this higher rate of salary from the date on which they were first recognised as teachers?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Commissioners of National Education could not give the figures asked for in this question without a minute examination of their records, not alone for 1900, but for subsequent years, and this would take a long time and involve considerable expenditure without any adequate public advantage. The Commissioners do not admit that the new scheme of salaries introduced in 1900 worked inequitably. The interests of teachers actually in the service prior to 1900 were preserved in the new rules. Any such teachers who were in training colleges in 1899–1900 received special consideration when fixing their incomes under the new rules in view of any promotion in classification to which they would have been entitled on account of their having entered training colleges. The other students in training in 1900 had never been employed as principal or assistant teachers under the board, and therefore had no claim on the Commissioners for special consideration.