§ Sir R. Gowerasked the First Lord of the Admiralty what proportion of inspectors in His Majesty's Home Dockyards are promoted chargemen; and what is the average age on appointment of those inspectors who are not promoted chargemen?
Mr. CooperAppointments of Inspectors of Trades in His Majesty's Dockyards and Naval Establishments are made by competitive examination and not by direct promotion except in a few specialised appointments. Draughtsmen, chargemen and workmen of the various trades, subject to certain age limits and service qualifications, are eligible to compete. The number of Inspectors of Trades is large and to ascertain their previous service and age on appointment would involve an undue amount of labour.