On June 1, 1899, Mr. Steadman moved the reduction of the Postmaster General's salary by $500, by way of asking the House of Commons to instruct the Government to appoint a Select Committee of the House of Commons to investigate the grievances of the Post Office employees.[189] He said: "It stands to reason that a Departmental Committee [Tweedmouth Committee] composed of officials, which contained only one impartial member--a Member of the House of Lords--could not be satisfactory to the 160,000 male and female employees in the Post Office service.... Every department of the Post Office service now has its organization. All these organizations right through the departments have their coaches and organizers; true, they are not yet directly represented here in this House, but they have friends here who are prepared to take up their quarrels." Captain Norton[190] seconded the Motion. He spoke of the fact that any telegraphist could obtain $30 a year extra pay by making himself competent to discharge the duties of a letter sorter, and another $30 by passing an examination on the technical questions of telegraphy. He asserted that it was a grievance that the men had to acquire, in their leisure hours, the additional proficiency in question; and that only 46 per cent. of the men were able to pass the examinations on the technical questions involved in telegraphy. Mr. Maddison[191] supported Mr. Steadman's Motion with the words: "For my part, I have always had some hesitation in taking up the cases of men employed by the State, because undoubtedly there is a sort of notion that, because they are employed by the State, they can make such demands as they like, because they are paid out of a very full Treasury. I know that every half penny of that money comes out of the general taxation of the country, and I agree that we are here as the guardians of the public purse. The Right Honorable Gentleman has never denied that we are here as the guardians of these men's interest, and it has not been shown that the public interest is of greater importance than the interest of these men, who do so much for the prosperity of the Country.... In this case we want a non-official committee, although I confess that I do not think such an inquiry will put an end to disputes in the future."