§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that, in present circumstances, boys who sit for the apprenticeship examination at the Royal dockyards are kept waiting sometimes three months before the result is announced; and if he can accelerate the decision and consider the possibility of making the limit of age fourteen, so that boys who fail may have a chance of getting taken elsewhere?
§ Mr. LONGThe examinations referred to are conducted by the Civil Service Commissioners, and I understand that no avoidable delay occurs in announcing the results to competitors. The lower age limit was advanced from fourteen to fifteen years after careful consideration both by the Admiralty and by the Board of Edu-254W cation, and it is not considered desirable to revert to the former age limit of fourteen years.